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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: The Letter M on November 02, 2012, 05:23:05 PM
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Hello and welcome to the official BIG BIG TRAIN thread! I figured I'd put some relevant information about the band at the top of the first post for any new fans discovering this wonderful band!
If you are brand new to the band, be sure to check them out at their own website (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/) for news regarding new recordings, releases, and possible tour info! There are also fairly extensive pages for each of the band's releases, band members, and the band history. Definitely worth checking out if you are interested in learning more about the band as you discover their music!
You can also stream and buy most of their music digitally from their Bandcamp page (https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/)!
If you wish to buy physical media and merch, you can find their storefronts at Burning Shed (https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain) (for UK/EU orders, but they do ship internationally) and Band Wagon USA (https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train) (for US orders).
You can also join the hundreds of other Passengers (the name for BBT fans) on the band's own Facebook Group Forum (https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain/), where band members will occasionally interact with fans. Much of the discussion will focus on the band's music, individual band members and their own music, prog rock in general, trains, English culture and history, and sprouts (long story). It's generally a fun and peaceful atmosphere with little or no toxicity, and everyone is generally well-mannered and friendly!
Roughly 10 weeks after David Longdon's passing (November 20th, 2021), his last studio album with Big Big Train was released, their 14th studio album Welcome To The Planet, featuring a relatively new line-up that went back into the studio not long after recording their previous album, Common Ground (which was released less than six months before WTTP).
Revealed on March 31st, 2022, a new 270-page hardcover coffee-table book documenting the band's entire history from their early 90s roots all the way up to their 2022 album Welcome To The Planet, BETWEEN THE LINES will be coming on June 17th, including over 180 photographs and illustrations from across the band's career. The book will also include interviews with over 30 musicians, including Genesis' own Tony Banks, who discusses the late David Longdon's audition process following the departure of Phil Collins from Genesis. This is the most comprehensive collection of pictures and stories relating to the band, bookmarking the end of an era for the band.
On April 27th, 2022, the band revealed plans to go on with their Fall 2022 Tour and introduced new lead vocalist and front-man Alberto Bravin. Known for his work with Italian prog band PFM, he joins the now truly-international ensemble as they work towards getting ready for the tour (sans Carly Bryant, who has immovable family plans), as well as working on new music which will be released sometime in 2023. You can view the band's announcement video here! (https://youtu.be/vtgDiTQOxV4)
Big Big Train will embark on Cruise To The Edge 2024, marking their first scheduled performance outside of the UK and mainland Europe!
CARLY BRYANT LEAVES & OSKAR HOLLDORFF JOINS BBT - Keyboardist and vocalist Carly Bryant has made the difficult decision to leave BBT due to family commitments that will prevent her from joining the band on their upcoming and potentially extensive touring over the next two years. Her 2022-tour deputy Oskar Holldorff, from Dim Gray, joins the band in an official capacity and has begun working with the band on their next set of studio material. While Carly is leaving the band, she is still staying in touch and is working on a solo album, to be released through English Electric Records.
If I have anymore information to post here, I will update as it becomes available!
(Last updated January 19th, 2023)
-----(My original post begins below!)-----
So I just recently discovered this great band after reading up on them and noticing they've had Nick D'Virgilio on their last few albums. I listened to a few tracks and then got their albums (they have a GREAT 6-disc bundle deal on their website) and now I am really looking forward to digesting their entire discography! Their recent stuff sounds great, especially their Peter Gabriel-esque vocalist, who sounds amazing without sounding too cheesy (like some Fish-era Marillion - oddly enough, Pete Trewavas guests on one of their albums).
This is great prog from the 90's-to-now, and I have NO idea how I have missed them and passed them by, especially with impressive albums with great acclaim, like The Underfall Yard and their recent release English Electric!
Has anyone else gotten into this band, or been fans from (nearly) the beginning of their career? What are your insights, your favorite albums and songs? I tried to see if there was already a thread on these guys here, but found none so I made this one! Discuss away and as I journey through their albums, I'll be sure to try and post my thoughts on them!
-Marc.
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Can't say I listen to them a ton, but The Underfall Yard is very good; have only spun their latest a couple of times so don't have a strong opinion on that. But yeah, one of those bands that should get more recognition on a supposed prog-likers/lovers forum.
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Got into these guys a couple of weeks ago because they were a recommendation on Amazon based on my previous purchases, and I love their last two albums to bits. English Electric Part 1 is a really good album, but The Underfall Yard is a masterpiece. Victorian Brickwork especially, with that glorious section that trades off between a lovely cornet solo and guitar leads that would make Steve Hackett weep. I was kind of shocked, given NDV's work with the band, that apparently these guys had flown under the DTF radar. Their albums are on Spotify if you want to give them a try; I can't imagine the average DTF poster not liking at least The Underfall Yard.
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I love them. I have 4 albums: The Underfall Yard, Difference Machine, Gathering Speed, and English Electric Part 1. English Electric is an excellent album and its in my top 10 of the year so far. After my first few listens I didn't think it was as good as The Underfall Yard but its grown on me a lot since then. Judas Unrepentant is probably my favorite but the whole album is worth listening to. Can't wait for Part 2!
Also, they have a Bandcamp with most of their albums available to stream (no commercials for those who don't have Spotify premium) and download.
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/
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Oh, good, I'm not alone. :D Been playing the hell out of their albums on Spotify lately-except for Underfall Yard, I bought the MP3s off Amazon because I loved it that much. :biggrin:
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I just discovered them and I've been listening to English Electric almost non stop for the last three days :biggrin:
These guys are seriously awesome, which album shall I listen to, now?
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The Underfall Yard. I'm not as impressed by the earlier two, although like I said I'm no expert on the band.
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Have only listened to their latest release, blew my mind... I saw that it was #1 on PA for 2012, I've gotta go backwards in their discography now.
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Have only listened to their latest release, blew my mind... I saw that it was #1 on PA for 2012, I've gotta go backwards in their discography now.
And not only first, but first with an exceptional score! It's still around 4.50, right?
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4.49 now... it's now ranked 16 of all prog albums ever there...
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4.49 now... it's now ranked 16 of all prog albums ever there...
Whoa... I just went to see and wow... it's up there with the greatest albums from Rush, Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, VdGG and Jethro Tull!!! And it is one of two albums in their Top 20 of all time from the last 10 years, the other being 2012's Viljans Öga by Anglagard, which sits at number 20.
Amazing feat for BBT!
-Marc.
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Guys, wasteland is talking about this so much and hyping me, it's unreal :biggrin:
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The Underfall Yard. I'm not as impressed by the earlier two, although like I said I'm no expert on the band.
Probably the next best thing to do. Start current and work your way backwards, but do not forget the 40-minute EP Far Skies Deep Time, which features the same line-up as TUY and EE1, and of which there are 2 tracklists, the second one has a re-recording of an older BBT track titled "Kingmaker"!
-Marc.
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Ok wow, finally got around to hearing a few tracks of English Electric. Album just ordered.
Thanks for the public awareness on this. :tup
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Ok wow, finally got around to hearing a few tracks of English Electric. Album just ordered.
Thanks for the public awareness on this. :tup
You're welcome! I'm surprised this band hasn't had a great following, but I can understand their slow-ascent into the public eye with Nick D'Virgilio being in the band for the last few years.
I've been listening to Far Skies Deep Time, a 40-minute EP with 5 tracks which are all spectacular. They later re-released the EP with a new opening track, "Kingmaker", a re-recording of an older tune from their early days. I've put that track in front of the rest of the original EP tracklist and it makes for an amazing 51 minute "album" made by the same line-up that did The Underfall Yard and would do English Electric.
For me, this band (so far, and at least with their last few releases) is like a modern-day Genesis...not in the sense that they're also British, or have a vocalist who sounds remarkably like Peter Gabriel (and who also happens to play flute), but their style and sense of arrangement is very Genesis-like. Their newer releases all sound like albums that Genesis COULD have made in their 5-man configuration had they stuck around through the 90's and 00's.
They also sound like Genesis without sounding like dated 80's Neo-Prog (like Fish-Era Marillion and early IQ). They have a fresh sound without trying to sound too much like Genesis or other older prog bands.
-Marc.
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English Electric is going to end up being one of my favorite albums of all time.
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English Electric is going to end up being one of my favorite albums of all time.
It is pretty good, although I'm trying not to bog myself down on it too much as I explore their back catalog. I've been really liking FSDP and TUY, as well as TDM and GS. I think I'll revisit EE1 in the coming days, but it's got me REALLY excited for Part 2 and their following release Station Masters.
-Marc.
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English Electric is going to end up being one of my favorite albums of all time.
It is pretty good, although I'm trying not to bog myself down on it too much as I explore their back catalog. I've been really liking FSDP and TUY, as well as TDM and GS. I think I'll revisit EE1 in the coming days, but it's got me REALLY excited for Part 2 and their following release Station Masters.
-Marc.
I knew about Part 2 but I haven't heard anything about Station Masters. Just looked it up and it appears to be a double disc of b-sides, outtakes, and re-worked old songs. Sounds great!
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Not a fan. Sorry.
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English Electric 1 is absolutely incredible, no doubt about that. :metal
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I've been discovering The Underfall Yard for the last week. Needless to say, it's another incredible album. How come these guys aren't as famous in the prog scene as many other great new bands like Haken are? :)
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I've been discovering The Underfall Yard for the last week. Needless to say, it's another incredible album. How come these guys aren't as famous in the prog scene as many other great new bands like Haken are? :)
I guess that depends on who you ask, like for instance, I have NO IDEA who "Haken" are... I thought Haken was the maker of Jordan Rudess' Continuum keyboard? :lol
Anyways, TUY is a great album! It's right up there with EE1 and FSDT for me. It's unusual that I find a band's latest material to be their greatest, but it's true. Everything from TUY onward is just magic, but I also really love The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed, the two albums with Sean Filkins.
-Marc.
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I've been discovering The Underfall Yard for the last week. Needless to say, it's another incredible album. How come these guys aren't as famous in the prog scene as many other great new bands like Haken are? :)
I guess that depends on who you ask, like for instance, I have NO IDEA who "Haken" are... I thought Haken was the maker of Jordan Rudess' Continuum keyboard? :lol
Anyways, TUY is a great album! It's right up there with EE1 and FSDT for me. It's unusual that I find a band's latest material to be their greatest, but it's true. Everything from TUY onward is just magic, but I also really love The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed, the two albums with Sean Filkins.
-Marc.
Yes, Haken isn't just a cool instrument, it's much, much more :)
Big2Trainwise, what does FSDT stand for? Whatever it is I havn't listened to it yet...
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I've been discovering The Underfall Yard for the last week. Needless to say, it's another incredible album. How come these guys aren't as famous in the prog scene as many other great new bands like Haken are? :)
I guess that depends on who you ask, like for instance, I have NO IDEA who "Haken" are... I thought Haken was the maker of Jordan Rudess' Continuum keyboard? :lol
Anyways, TUY is a great album! It's right up there with EE1 and FSDT for me. It's unusual that I find a band's latest material to be their greatest, but it's true. Everything from TUY onward is just magic, but I also really love The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed, the two albums with Sean Filkins.
-Marc.
Yes, Haken isn't just a cool instrument, it's much, much more :)
Big2Trainwise, what does FSDT stand for? Whatever it is I havn't listened to it yet...
FSDT is Far Skies Deep Time, an EP that was released after The Underfall Yard and has the same line-up as that album and English Electric. It's made up of 5 tracks, and runs about 40 minutes long, but if you do what I did and add the changed-first-track-for-2nd-release of the EP, and toss in "Kingmaker" at the beginning of it, it becomes an amazing 6-track album at over 50 minutes long!
-Marc.
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Just saw this on the band's Facebook. Release date March 4, 2013.
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/262786_10151162476754397_1475273948_n.jpg
Edit: Can't get the picture to show up, so here's the link to the album cover.
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I'm giving English Electric Part One a first spin now, sounds really promising.
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Just saw this on the band's Facebook. Release date March 4, 2013.
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/262786_10151162476754397_1475273948_n.jpg
Edit: Can't get the picture to show up, so here's the link to the album cover.
*excited*
I'm giving English Electric Part One a first spin now, sounds really promising.
Did you get to Judas already? If that does't hook you up you are not cut for this band, I'm afraid :D
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I'm giving English Electric Part One a first spin now, sounds really promising.
Did you get to Judas already? If that does't hook you up you are not cut for this band, I'm afraid :D
I'm on that very track right now, really digging it :tup
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I'm giving English Electric Part One a first spin now, sounds really promising.
Did you get to Judas already? If that does't hook you up you are not cut for this band, I'm afraid :D
I'm on that very track right now, really digging it :tup
Read the lyrics if you havn't yet! They are among the best I could ever imagine. It's not every day that a band is able to throw in stuff like "anachronism, x-rayed and Rembrandt" and making it sound epic as if we were listening to the The Fall Of Gondolin made song! :)
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https://bigbigtrain.com/main/shop/ee2
You can now pre-order English Electric (Part 2)!!!
-Marc.
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https://bigbigtrain.com/main/shop/ee2
You can now pre-order English Electric (Part 2)!!!
-Marc.
I'm doing this as soon as I get home! I can't possibly miss it!
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I've recently started spinning The Underfall Yard more and more frequently, and I can really say that the album is absolutely glorious, not at all inferior to EE1! The title track (....) and Victorian Brickwork are just brilliant composition, brilliant!
This band deserves more credit.
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I've recently started spinning The Underfall Yard more and more frequently, and I can really say that the album is absolutely glorious, not at all inferior to EE1! The title track (....) and Victorian Brickwork are just brilliant composition, brilliant!
This band deserves more credit.
My thoughts exactly, and their high marks (for last year's English Electric Part One) in the recently published DPRPoll for 2012 will undoubtedly bring the band to the attention to many proggers who have passed them by over the years, especially with said album having recently been released on vinyl and Part Two coming out in less than a month, it'll be a big year for BBT and its fans!
-Marc.
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Man English Electric is so good, I mean like top 10 for me currently. Can't wait for EE2.
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EE2 is now available to download or stream!! Just bought it and I'm going to listen to it soon!
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/
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I ordered it yesterday! I hope it arrives soon. Until then, I will avoid listening to everything but the first song, which I'm finishing now. :)
Sounds amazing, people. I'm looking forward to speak of this record with all of you! :caffeine:
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This album is so good. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it may be better than Part One. East Coast Racer is a masterpiece.
Here's the link to stream/download again, so its on the second page (in case anyone didn't see it yesterday).
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/
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I know about East Coast Racer, but is the rest of the album on par? Is there a better song? I'd hate to have spoiled myself the best one :\
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I know about East Coast Racer, but is the rest of the album on par? Is there a better song? I'd hate to have spoiled myself the best one :\
The rest of the album is without a doubt on par with ECR! It's not like Tarkus or anything where the best track is the opening epic, and the rest of the album feels underwhelming. The entire album flows well and there are no low points, just highs.
I don't know if ECR is the best track. Right now I'd say my favorites are The Permanent Way (features a cool throwback to EEP1!) and Swan Hunter, but I really can't pick a favorite. My least favorite is probably Leopards, but even that is a very nice, but short, track.
So yeah, I wouldn't worry about being underwhelmed!
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JUST got my pre-ordered album in the mail today (along with SW's TRTRTS!). Cannot wait to spin it tomorrow (too late for me now - very tired at 4:10 am!).
-Marc.
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JUST got my pre-ordered album in the mail today (along with SW's TRTRTS!). Cannot wait to spin it tomorrow (too late for me now - very tired at 4:10 am!).
-Marc.
I ordered it on Friday... why did I wait so long? :'(
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JUST got my pre-ordered album in the mail today (along with SW's TRTRTS!). Cannot wait to spin it tomorrow (too late for me now - very tired at 4:10 am!).
-Marc.
I ordered it on Friday... why did I wait so long? :'(
Whaaaaa... I placed my order on Jan 18th! I was hoping it'd show up today, too, so I cannot wait to spin it tomorrow!
-Marc.
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It's because I was torn for a while with decisions and decisions... I wanted to buy too many albums (among those, EE1 and the other one you bought as well), but in the end I took only EE2. :emo:
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Fuck my wallet, I just ordered EE1 too. :caffeine:
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Just got English Electric Part 2....it might be better than part one, though I'm going to need some more listens to make that a definite opinion, but it's still amazing. These guys need more exposure, they're fantastic. My god, the chorus of Swan Hunter is a thing of beauty. :biggrin:
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Leopards is really growing on me. I love the strings and acoustic guitar.
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Great band. Gotta be in the mood I find, but they're great. Haven't listened to EE part 2 yet though.
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Got EE2 in the mail today! What an amazingly swift delivery, all the way from England to Italy in a weekend!
I'm going to listen to it in the car and after my afternoon class.
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I am massively loving this album. I really love the way they use horns and strings to such good effect. Great band. :biggrin:
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The physical album for EE2 is not yet released on Amazon, waiting for that. Just a few more days now.
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Okay, I have been oddly silent about this album since I got it last weekend.
If EE1's high rankings, rave reviews, and amazing critical response from fans around the world didn't already launch this still-not-quite-well-known band into Prog All-Star Status last year, this album will do it. EE1's praise may have amp'd up and hyped up the release of the album's sequel, which came out not long after the completion of the DPRP's famous annual poll, where Big Big Train made many of the tops of lists!
This album has everything on it - amazing vocals from Longdon (as usual), great drumming from NDV (who will be missed in SB, but that's another thread and review lol), and just more fantastic writing/performing by everyone in the band. I'll agree with Jaq above, the use of strings, winds and brass across this album is VERY effective and not over done to the point of sounding monotonous. Tracks 1, 5 and 7 have been stick-out songs for me - the opening epic is another monstrous BBT piece while "Keeper Of Abbeys" has that stunning middle section with the strings! And of course, the closing song is one of THE most beautiful pieces in prog I've heard to date, and one of my favorite BBT songs so far!
I'll be listening to this album for a week or so by itself before I go and listen to both parts of English Electric together to create the FULL effect. Speaking of which, the band themselves plan to release 3 more songs from these sessions that fit in the concept of the (double) album at some point, on an EP, then later on release ALL of the songs in a new full double album (or... at least I'm pretty sure that's what I read somewhere...).
-Marc.
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English Electric is amazing.
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Am I the only who has been so very emotionally moved by the power of EE2's last track "Curator Of Butterflies"? It's about as powerful as Marillion's latest last-track "Sky Above The Rain". Why is British prog so damn emotionally moving and beautiful?!
-Marc.
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COB was the one song which left me disappointed at first listen, for being a little underwhelming emotionally. Now I think I know better. So, it's time for our lists? :D
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Part 1 was my second fav album of last year (beaten only by Parallax II's BEAST of a storyline). Part 2 is fucking spectacular, and a definite contender for the top spot this year!
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Finally got EE2 and gave it a spin. Very pleased overall. It has many similarities to pt 1 obviously, but it also carves out it's own identity. It's not quite as diverse, but it is very consistent.
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Would anyone here be interested in a BBT Survivor? It would include the following releases:
From The River To The Sea
Goodbye To The Age Of Steam
English Boy Wonders
Bard
Gathering Speed
The Difference Machine
The Underfall Yard
Far Skies Deep Time
English Electric (Part One)
English Electric (Part Two)
Then consolation rounds, and lastly Finals. If there is enough interest in doing this here, I will start it up once my Spock's Beard Survivor is over in August, so probably around then or in September.
-Marc.
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I've just got into these guys. I bought English Electric 1 & 2 and I love both. I need to work backwards now.
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:metal
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English Electric: Full Power and the Make Some Noise EP are being released on Monday! EE: Full Power includes all of the tracks from Parts One and Two (with a different running order), along with 4 new songs. The EP contains the 4 new songs and a few selections from the two English Electric albums, for those who don't want to purchase the albums again. They're both very affordable to download on Bandcamp, and come with a 96 page PDF booklet.
English Electric: Full Power (https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/)
Make Some Noise EP (https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/make-some-noise-ep)
They also released a video for the song Make Some Noise. I can't say I love it, but it's a very solid song and has a fantastic solo from Dave Gregory (who is one of the most criminally underrated guitarists).
Make Some Noise video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKe1FdztHGM)
Can't wait to hear the other 3 new songs!!
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Moar Big Big Train already? :caffeine:
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Sweet, I'll be getting the EP for sure :tup
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Uber-fan here, I went ahead and ordered EEFP + MSN EP... yeaaaah, over-kill, but I just LOVE this band so much and their output is nothing short of gorgeous.
-Marc.
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Downloaded the EP and gave it a listen today. Seen Better Days is a fantastic song and the keys are phenomenal!
I'm going to make a playlist of the Full Power running order and listen to it ASAP. Should be interesting hearing the new stuff mixed in with all the tracks that I'm already super familiar with.
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What's everyone's favorite track from English Electric? (either one, or both :D)
Mine's probably Hedgerow.
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Right now I'd go with Judas Unrepentant. Hedgerow is up there too though, as is Winchester From St. Giles' Hill.
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Fine choices, each. This Longdon fellow is becoming one of my favorite singers.
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From Part 1, I'd say Hedgerow, but Judas Unrepentant and Uncle Jack are both up there. And Keeper of Abbeys is my favorite from Part 2.
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I haven't yet gotten a copy of Part II, so I'm not super familiar with it, but I remember East Coast Racer standing out to me.
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East Coast Racer is great and it's probably my second favorite from the album.
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Since this is the closest thing to a Big Big Train thread that I am aware of: New EP being released June 1st.
https://www.burningshed.com/store/progressive/product/506/6614/
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EEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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The EP is out and can be streamed at Bandcamp (https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/wassail).
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The EP is out and can be streamed at Bandcamp (https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/wassail).
Listened to the EP last night on a car ride around the city and it's pretty awesome! It's definitely whet my appetite for more BBT next year. I think their next album will be titled Folklore and is due for release early next year. Cannot wait for more!
I've been spinning a lot of their albums lately because of the new EP and I'm reminded just how quickly they became one of my favorite bands since discovering them a couple of years ago.
-Marc.
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Gave the EP a couple of listens on Spotify today, really nice stuff! Makes me want a full-length though, the EP is a bit too insubstantial.
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They've just announced a new album named Folklore, for release May 27th. :metal
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8MzlCvQqn8
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Yay, finally! :D
EDIT: Sounds really great!
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Don't announce your album on April 1st! People might think you're playing a Fools' prank. ;D
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Hard to believe they'll have a new album out! it feels like forever since English Electric Full Power came out, and to be honest, I hadn't spun Wassail much since it was an EP, and was going to wait til the new album (which has "Wassail" on it) to really dive in to everything.
Coincidentally, another long-awaited album also comes out May 27th in the form of Frost's third album! Summer will be coming in hot with these two albums!!! Now to order both from Burning Shed...just as soon as I have the money to. :(
-Marc.
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Also, gotta say, while I love the new album's cover art, it's very blue-and-grey, which reminds me a lot of Riverside's last album, as well as Echolyn's last album. Is this a trend in prog now?!
(https://bigbigtrain.com/pics/covers/folklore600.jpg)
(https://images.cdbaby.name/e/c/echolyn11_large.jpg?v=08d96ef2-3037-4785-bc4c-72cc7e952c18)
(https://www.themonolith.com/wp-content/uploads/Riverside-Love-Fear-And-The-Time-Machine-album-art.jpg)
-Marc.
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Surprised this hasn't been put up yet. Title track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D9YF3e4Gac) from the new BBT album, Folklore.
Over the last few days, I've really started to get into this band, after stumbling across Uncle Jack (from English Electric 1). That song is a beautiful breath of fresh summer air. I've also heard Wassail since then. Looks like May 27th will be an expensive day with this and the new Frost* coming out.
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Surprised this hasn't been put up yet. Title track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D9YF3e4Gac) from the new BBT album, Folklore.
Over the last few days, I've really started to get into this band, after stumbling across Uncle Jack (from English Electric 1). That song is a beautiful breath of fresh summer air. I've also heard Wassail since then. Looks like May 27th will be an expensive day with this and the new Frost* coming out.
Ah yes, Frost* and BBT will be the start to my summer of prog!!
As for the new title track, I listened/watched "Folklore" just once. I don't want to over-play it and have it become stale before the rest of the album when it comes out. Whether by coincidence or accident, I also have not spun the Wassail EP much in the last year since it came out, and now the whole EP is part of the album (well, the vinyl version, but that tracklisting is how I'll listen to it given that, in addition to pre-ordering the physical CD from BurningShed, I also pre-ordered the high quality FLAC audio from BBT's bandcamp, which features the vinyl tracklist). Easily one of my most anticipated albums of 2016!
My impressions of the title track are pretty positive. It's got a great vibe and has a damn catchy chorus. The solo-trading at the end is spectacular, too, between all of the instruments. It's a very playful tune overall, and I hope the rest of the album is like that.
-Marc.
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So, a mere nine days before their next album is released, today I received my copy of English Electric: Full Power in the post. First of all, what a package! The thickest digibook I've ever seen. Wonderful detailed liner notes about each of the songs. The songs are magnificently orchestrated, incorporating not just prog/rock instruments, but flutes, violins, banjos and a brass band.
And there's 135 minutes of this incredible music too, making this my longest studio album, beating The Astonishing by c. 5 minutes.
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The digital formats are out today, at least from the band's own bandcamp page, and WOW. What an album. Given it at least one full spin with mostly intent listening, and there's some great moments across the whole thing, though I really like "The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun" a lot.
I got the vinyl tracklist in high-res audio format, so it includes all 3 studio tracks from the Wassail EP in it, which I didn't burn myself out on last year (thankfully), so now the whole album sounds fresh to me. "Folklore" and "Wassail" are easily the catchiest tracks on the album with some of the band's most powerful and memorable choruses to date. The "London" suite of Side 2 features some nice moments, especially the epic. And speaking of epics, "Brooklands" is pretty sublime as well. The whole album is so good, and just as good as any of their works since Longdon joined the band.
-Marc.
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First listen now, the title track is awesome :tup Great opener.
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The band is really firing on all cylinders here. Really solid effort, can't wait to get more time with this album.
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The band is really firing on all cylinders here. Really solid effort, can't wait to get more time with this album.
No kidding, they've really tapped into something great. The song writing is at such a high and consistent level. Their last few albums are essential listening.
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The band is really firing on all cylinders here. Really solid effort, can't wait to get more time with this album.
No kidding, they've really tapped into something great. The song writing is at such a high and consistent level. Their last few albums are essential listening.
I couldn't agree more. This album, along with every album since The Difference Machine, have all been pretty amazing. David Longdon's vocals are top-notch, full of soulful melody and British gracefulness that harkens back to Gabriel-era Genesis, but with a bit more "oomph" thrown in. Couple all of that with gorgeous string and horn arrangements, and this band is definitely a must-listen for fans of that 70's era British prog rock like Genesis.
The run of "The Underfall Yard - Far Skies Deep Time (w/King Maker) - English Electric Full Power - Folklore (high-res/Vinyl tracklist )" has to be one of my absolute favorite runs of albums/studio work in recent years. Big Big Train rose quickly into my Top 10 bands of all time because of this, and I'm sure with their upcoming EP (next year's Skylon) and re-recorded songs compilation (Station Masters, probably next year), they'll definitely cement their standing with me, if not move into coveted Top 5 Bands territory.
-Marc.
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I finally got Folklore today! I was considerably moved by the ending of London Plane. What a soaring final chorus and guitar solo! We have here a truly special band.
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Bump because the band JUST released their first full-fledged live album, A Stone's Throw From The Line, a 2-disc set featuring all of the songs performed at their 3-day gig last summer, though it is a compilation, most of the songs come from the tighter Sunday show (the last of three).
I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but if it's as good as their live-in-the-studio release from earlier this year, I'm sure it'll be amazing.
Looking forward, it was announced today on Facebook that their next album, Grimspound (formerly an EP titled Skylon), will contain (I believe) 8 tracks, and is set for an April release date! That's less than a year since Folklore!!! The band definitely have their creative juices on full steam ahead!
-Marc.
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Looking forward, it was announced today on Facebook that their next album, Grimspound (formerly an EP titled Skylon), will contain (I believe) 8 tracks, and is set for an April release date! That's less than a year since Folklore!!! The band definitely have their creative juices on full steam ahead!
-Marc.
True (and I'll forgive the train pun). The English Electric 'cycle' was two albums and an EP (all then combined on Full Power), and as Grimspound is a companion to Folklore, I wouldn't be surprised if eventually those two albums were packaged together in the future. And, if what you say on another thread is correct, the follow-up will be a 2-disc concept album. Perhaps making up for lost time now they're finally finding success and have such a great lineup with so many instruments at their disposal.
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Looking forward, it was announced today on Facebook that their next album, Grimspound (formerly an EP titled Skylon), will contain (I believe) 8 tracks, and is set for an April release date! That's less than a year since Folklore!!! The band definitely have their creative juices on full steam ahead!
-Marc.
True (and I'll forgive the train pun). The English Electric 'cycle' was two albums and an EP (all then combined on Full Power), and as Grimspound is a companion to Folklore, I wouldn't be surprised if eventually those two albums were packaged together in the future. And, if what you say on another thread is correct, the follow-up will be a 2-disc concept album. Perhaps making up for lost time now they're finally finding success and have such a great lineup with so many instruments at their disposal.
It'd b e neat to get Grimspound repacked with Folklore (and Wassail EP) as EEFP was made from both parts of EE and the Make Some Noise EP. The digital version of Folklore, as well as the vinyl version, features all 3 tracks from the Wassail EP in a unique running order that I feel is well-intended to be the actual running order of the album, considering side 2 creates a sort of "London Suite", though I'd be interested in hearing all of THOSE tracks mixed in with the 8 or so songs coming out in Grimspound for a massive 19-track experience (a la Full Power).
Oddly enough, they could have almost done the same thing with The Difference Machine, The Underfall Yard and the Far Skies Deep Time EP, as that EP contained outtakes from the previous two albums, so it'd be neat to have all of those packaged together too.
But that would be a LOT of money and double-dipping on the part of fans, though the die-hards definitely do not mind that (especially as I own both parts of English Electric, the MSN EP, and the Full Power version of the albums).
-Marc.
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As I've already said, I only bought Full Power out of the English Electric albums, and I really can't picture East Coast Racer as an album opener (as it is on EE2). To me, that whole buildup leading to "Into history, and into legend...she FLIIIIIIIES" just sends shivers down the spine, and is the climax of the entire 2-hour English Electric journey, much like BAI is the climax to Dream Theater's ADTOE. What comes after it (in EEFP's case, the end of ECR and then Curator of Butterflies) is the comedown after the ultimate high.
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Just read a post on FB, an album update from Greg Spawton, the 70+ minute album is about 50 minutes mixed by Rob Aubrey, and should be done in time for release on April 28th!
Hard the believe that, less than a year after the AMAZING Folklore album, we're al ready getting another full album!
-Marc.
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Great news! April 28th could be an expensive day for some, with Ayreon's The Source coming out on the same day.
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Great news! April 28th could be an expensive day for some, with Ayreon's The Source coming out on the same day.
BBT have a knack for releasing an album on the same day as another big album. Last year, they released Folklore on the same day at the new Frost* album, their big comeback record Falling Satellites.
Either way, May will be a busy month for me getting both albums and trying to digest each. It's been awhile since the last Ayreon album, so that might take precedence over BBT, who just released an album last year, although I won't lie - I am probably more excited for BBT than Ayreon.
-Marc.
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BBT have a knack for releasing an album on the same day as another big album. Last year, they released Folklore on the same day at the new Frost* album, their big comeback record Falling Satellites.
I was going to say that April 28th feels like this year's May 27th. Also, it took me a while to grasp this:
Just read a post on FB, an album update from Greg Spawton, the 70+ minute album is about 50 minutes mixed by Rob Aubrey
Thought you'd got the timings mixed up and it was either 70 mins or 50 mins, but I get it now. Over 70 minutes of new BBT music is something to look forward to, big time! Apparently some substantial songs in there, with talk of the band "letting their hair down a bit".
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Artwork and tracklist announced: https://teamrock.com/news/2017-02-22/big-big-train-announce-new-album-grimspound (https://teamrock.com/news/2017-02-22/big-big-train-announce-new-album-grimspound)
1. Brave Captain
2. On the Racing Line
3. Experimental Gentlemen
4. Meadowland
5. Grimspound
6. The Ivy Gate
7. A Mead Hall in Winter
8. As the Crow Flies
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Artwork and tracklist announced: https://teamrock.com/news/2017-02-22/big-big-train-announce-new-album-grimspound (https://teamrock.com/news/2017-02-22/big-big-train-announce-new-album-grimspound)
1. Brave Captain
2. On the Racing Line
3. Experimental Gentlemen
4. Meadowland
5. Grimspound
6. The Ivy Gate
7. A Mead Hall in Winter
8. As the Crow Flies
Greg Spawton posted a graphic yesterday featuring the track times - looks like the album will run just shy of 68 minutes. Pre-orders will go live on March 2nd.
-Marc.
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Greg Spawton posted a graphic yesterday featuring the track times - looks like the album will run just shy of 68 minutes. Pre-orders will go live on March 2nd.
-Marc.
Can you post them here, or a link to the graphic?
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Greg Spawton posted a graphic yesterday featuring the track times - looks like the album will run just shy of 68 minutes. Pre-orders will go live on March 2nd.
-Marc.
Can you post them here, or a link to the graphic?
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154475680024397&id=607319396&set=gm.10154512872733668&source=48
Hope that works!
-Marc.
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I bought The Underfall Yard last week. (The album, not the boatyard in Bristol.) Once again, absolutely magnificent music! I feel like the title track will become a real favourite of mine once I get properly familiar with it. What a powerful voice David Longdon has too! Bearing in mind this is his first album aboard the Train, I can imagine the impact it had on release-era fans.
Onwards to Grimspound in 5 weeks' time!
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Underfall also has made me a huge fan a few months after it came out. I think it's still their most concise album. A friend of mine wrote BBT a message and they said there would be a vinyl release in 2019 too, if I remember correctly.
But now I can't wait for Grimspound! Folklore was already amazing, I hope they can live up to that. I already ordered the limited colored vinyl version. (Man I'm spending too much money on music, seriously.)
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Listened to Folklore enjoyed it. Decided to check out Underfall the song, loved it. Checked out their debut on YouTube (the original 1994 version) fell in love with it.
These guys are amazing and I'm glad I finally decided to hear their songs.
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I could never get into any of their stuff from before The Difference Machine.. I don't know why.
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I bought The Underfall Yard last week. (The album, not the boatyard in Bristol.) Once again, absolutely magnificent music! I feel like the title track will become a real favourite of mine once I get properly familiar with it. What a powerful voice David Longdon has too! Bearing in mind this is his first album aboard the Train, I can imagine the impact it had on release-era fans.
Onwards to Grimspound in 5 weeks' time!
Ahh yes, TUY is an amazing album, great opening instrumental, "Victorian Brickwork" has that climactic outro with the trumpet solo, and of course the title track, a modern masterpiece epic. When Longdon came on board, they put out an amazing album. It was also the first album with Nick D'Virgilio as a fulltime member, as he had guested on their previous album. I need to revisit this one in a couple of weeks before Grimpsound drops, which I've already pre-ordered from BurningShed, and for fairly cheap too!
Underfall also has made me a huge fan a few months after it came out. I think it's still their most concise album. A friend of mine wrote BBT a message and they said there would be a vinyl release in 2019 too, if I remember correctly.
But now I can't wait for Grimspound! Folklore was already amazing, I hope they can live up to that. I already ordered the limited colored vinyl version. (Man I'm spending too much money on music, seriously.)
Yes, I think the band are working on releasing their earlier albums on vinyl, as they started with both English Electric albums, and have continued with Folklore and Grimspound, so it shouldn't be too long until it comes out! I hope they do an expanded/complete Far Skies Deep Time vinyl, with "Kingmaker" as the first track, "Master of Time" as the second, and the rest of the album as usual. With all 6 tracks, it's practically a full-length album!
Listened to Folklore enjoyed it. Decided to check out Underfall the song, loved it. Checked out their debut on YouTube (the original 1994 version) fell in love with it.
These guys are amazing and I'm glad I finally decided to hear their songs.
I could never get into any of their stuff from before The Difference Machine.. I don't know why.
Their earlier stuff can be a bit hit-or-miss, though there are inklings of where they would eventually end up by the time they made TDM and TUY, especially in some of their longer songs, but you can tell their earlier stuff feels a BIT dated. The remasters the band released a few years ago for their first two albums are really good, though. I say, if you like the band, their first two are worth checking out just to hear where they came from and how they go to where they are today. It's quite an interesting journey!
It's hard to believe that their debut came out around the same time as the debuts for bands like Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, and Porcupine Tree, but they largely went unknown until The Underfall Yard hit, at least to me. I had never heard of them until that album came out, and then all of a sudden, everyone was getting into them. For the longest time, I couldn't get past their band name - it sounded really silly and dumb to me at the time, so I dismissed their work (which was HIGHLY foolish of me to do so).
It wasn't until about 3 months after EE Part One came out (around the end of November 2012) that I got into them, and ordered both EE1 and the "Tera-Bundle" (6 discs, which contained Goodbye To The Age Of Steam 2011, Far Skies Deep TIme, The Underfall Yard, English Boy Wonders 2008, The Difference Machine 2010, and Gathering Speed 2009). After 6-7 weeks of digesting those 7 albums, I promptly pre-ordered EE2 a couple months before it came out in March 2013 (what a birthday gift!), and I have since been a huge fan of the band and have been pre-ordering their music ever since (even getting English Electric Full Power + Make Some Noise EP, so I essentially have 2 versions of the same set of songs). Needless to say, they shot up my list of favorite bands of all time pretty quickly 4.5 years ago!
-Marc.
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Has anyone heard the new song already? I'm trying to stay strong and not listen but I'd love some mini-reviews.
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M,
What are the must haves for you? I don't have any BBT but am listening to Fokelore on youtube right now.
For some reason their albums are sort of silly expensive on Amazon.com.... at least older releases..
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M,
What are the must haves for you? I don't have any BBT but am listening to Fokelore on youtube right now.
For some reason their albums are sort of silly expensive on Amazon.com.... at least older releases..
Easily anything the band has released since David Longdon and Nick D'Virgilio have joined the band:
The Underfall Yard
Far Skies Deep Time EP (there are two versions, but if you get one, you can probably track down an mp3 download of the other one for the 6th track)
English Electric Full Power (the compiled double album was re-released last October, with remastered sound)
Folklore (the "complete" version, used for the vinyl LP and also available for high-quality download, which includes all three tracks from their Wassail EP)
For pre-Longdon stuff, definitely check out The Difference Machine (the newest version from 2010), and if you like that, go back one more album to Gathering Speed. The first three albums are interesting, but I'll be honest, I do not spin them very often, at least not anywhere near as much as their last three albums, but if you like everything else, it's worth checking out!
-Marc.
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Is that Folklore "Complete" available on physical media? How would I be able to tell on amazon if it was the right one? I don't see one marked "Complete" or whatever.
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Is that Folklore "Complete" available on physical media? How would I be able to tell on amazon if it was the right one? I don't see one marked "Complete" or whatever.
It's on vinyl, but not CD. You'll have to get the Wassail EP to get the three extra tracks not included on the Folklore CD.
(Or, if you're quite patient, wait until the compilation release that I'm somehow expecting will happen at some point, combining all songs from the Folklore era, like they did with English Electric: Full Power. (Again, this is entirely my own speculation.))
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Is that Folklore "Complete" available on physical media? How would I be able to tell on amazon if it was the right one? I don't see one marked "Complete" or whatever.
It's on vinyl, but not CD. You'll have to get the Wassail EP to get the three extra tracks not included on the Folklore CD.
(Or, if you're quite patient, wait until the compilation release that I'm somehow expecting will happen at some point, combining all songs from the Folklore era, like they did with English Electric: Full Power. (Again, this is entirely my own speculation.))
Back when Grimpsound was just an EP named Skylon, I would have agreed to the notion that there'd be a full compilation of Folklore music, combining the album, the Wassail EP, and the then-to-be-released Skylon EP, but now that it's a full-blown album, I'm not so sure.
I think Grimspound is still being marketed as a companion album to Folklore, though, so there's still a small possibility that we may see a tweaked tracklist compilation, a la English Electric Full Power, combining all 19 tracks into a massive double album. If they do that, then BBT gets even MORE of my money.
I became a fan between EE1 and EE2, so naturally, after having bought EE1 (and the rest of their back catalog), I pre-ordered EE2, then later on when EEFP was announced, I got that version with the Make Some Noise EP as well, so I've got every track at least TWICE. Totally worth it, though, especially since the EEFP packaging is REALLY nice.
Regarding the "complete" Folklore, you can do what I did - just buy the high-quality audio from the band's bandcamp page, and make a 2-CDr version of the vinyl LP, or just buy the vinyl (unless of course, you don't own a record player/really want the CD). Either way, as RoeDent said, there is no officially released CD version of the complete Folklore track list, just ones you can make at home like I have!
-Marc.
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I genuinely have not come across a band like BBT ever before. I'm getting feelings from this music that I've not got from anything else. This is skillful tone painting akin to the great orchestrators of the classical tradition, but transferred to rock music. Just take East Coast Racer for one example. The middle section especially takes you on the record-breaking run aboard the Mallard. The way the music just races along at great speed, with Longdon's delivery at a slower pace so you take the words in. And what a line is "A rocket in blue, at two miles a minute"! Anyone can say 120mph, but that's just genius!
And then you have that glorious crescendo from 8:47 onwards, culminating after a few minutes in one of THE great euphoric moments in all of prog history: "Into history, and into legend...she FLIIIIIIIES!!!" OHH YESSS MY SON!!! And after experiencing the highest of highs, they even make sure you land safely and comfortably too. A thing of absolute beauty.
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I loved the one track I goth rom these guys in a roulette. I should probably take a run at their catalog.
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I genuinely have not come across a band like BBT ever before. I'm getting feelings from this music that I've not got from anything else. This is skillful tone painting akin to the great orchestrators of the classical tradition, but transferred to rock music. Just take East Coast Racer for one example. The middle section especially takes you on the record-breaking run aboard the Mallard. The way the music just races along at great speed, with Longdon's delivery at a slower pace so you take the words in. And what a line is "A rocket in blue, at two miles a minute"! Anyone can say 120mph, but that's just genius!
And then you have that glorious crescendo from 8:47 onwards, culminating after a few minutes in one of THE great euphoric moments in all of prog history: "Into history, and into legend...she FLIIIIIIIES!!!" OHH YESSS MY SON!!! And after experiencing the highest of highs, they even make sure you land safely and comfortably too. A thing of absolute beauty.
I feel you, man, there's a LOT of moments in BBT's music that are pretty euphoric, musically speaking. In my recent Genesis-binge-listening between February and March, I came to see and hear and feel how much of BBT has Genesis in their blood (not to mention that Nick D'Virgilio was actually on Calling All Stations, and that David Longdon was on the list of auditioned vocalists for that same album). But not only is it in their blood, but they take that influence and amplify it 100 times, pushing that pastoral English feel into modern times, weaving a smoother, sometimes silkier blanket of sounds that is so aurally pleasing to my ears. The combination of Longdon's vocals, the lush keyboards and guitars, the proficient drumming, the soaring violin and strings, the dreamy brass and horns...everything just mixes together so well and creates a sound so similar, so familiar, but so unique to BBT. Of the bands that I have discovered in the last 5 years, BBT definitely stands out and above the rest, and so whenever new material is coming out, I am anxiously and eagerly awaiting it!
-Marc.
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New video for part of Experimental Gentlemen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlOm97Yh7U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlOm97Yh7U)
Highlights include David Longdon air-guitaring with a walking cane. ;D Oh, and the chorus chords are the same as for The Transit of Venus Across the Sun, thus tying this album and Folklore together.
Also, one week until Grimspound is released!
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New video for the second half of Experimental Gentlemen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlOm97Yh7U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlOm97Yh7U)
Highlights include David Longdon air-guitaring with a walking cane. ;D Oh, and the chorus chords are the same as for The Transit of Venus Across the Sun, thus tying this album and Folklore together.
Also, one week until Grimspound is released!
Not feelin it. I turned it off 1/4 of the way through. I'll try again later.
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My CD has been shipped from Burning Shed, so it should be on its way here shortly! Hard to believe it's only been a year since Folklore and we're already getting another album. Big Big Train certainly know how to spoil their fans!
And thinking about it in the car ride home earlier, it dawned on me that the band, with the release of Grimspound, will have released just as many albums with David Longdon (and NDV) as they have without, and the 5 albums with David have all been released in an 8-year time-span, whereas their first five studio albums were released in their first 13 years. I'm glad the band have been very active since 2009's The Underfall Yard. In fact, since 2009, they've had at least one release a year except in 2011 and 2014, including EPs with LPs. Pretty impressive, so I hope they keep that up!
I might get my wish on that, though, because apparently Station Masters, a 3-disc compilation of re-recordings of old songs (and some new ones) might get released in 3 separate volumes (which I would be OK with), and they're still working on those as the years go by. They also have a huge concept album in the works as well (a double album, I believe), so they've got PLENTY of material to release over the coming years, not to mention any live albums or EPs they decide to toss out there as well!
-Marc.
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My CD has been shipped from Burning Shed, so it should be on its way here shortly! Hard to believe it's only been a year since Folklore and we're already getting another album. Big Big Train certainly know how to spoil their fans!
And thinking about it in the car ride home earlier, it dawned on me that the band, with the release of Grimspound, will have released just as many albums with David Longdon (and NDV) as they have without, and the 5 albums with David have all been released in an 8-year time-span, whereas their first five studio albums were released in their first 13 years. I'm glad the band have been very active since 2009's The Underfall Yard. In fact, since 2009, they've had at least one release a year except in 2011 and 2014, including EPs with LPs. Pretty impressive, so I hope they keep that up!
I might get my wish on that, though, because apparently Station Masters, a 3-disc compilation of re-recordings of old songs (and some new ones) might get released in 3 separate volumes (which I would be OK with), and they're still working on those as the years go by. They also have a huge concept album in the works as well (a double album, I believe), so they've got PLENTY of material to release over the coming years, not to mention any live albums or EPs they decide to toss out there as well!
-Marc.
Don't forget the awesome The Difference Machine! I think it's crazy the Sean Filkins sounded a lot like David on that album :D I didn't even realize it was a different singer at first!
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My CD has been shipped from Burning Shed, so it should be on its way here shortly! Hard to believe it's only been a year since Folklore and we're already getting another album. Big Big Train certainly know how to spoil their fans!
And thinking about it in the car ride home earlier, it dawned on me that the band, with the release of Grimspound, will have released just as many albums with David Longdon (and NDV) as they have without, and the 5 albums with David have all been released in an 8-year time-span, whereas their first five studio albums were released in their first 13 years. I'm glad the band have been very active since 2009's The Underfall Yard. In fact, since 2009, they've had at least one release a year except in 2011 and 2014, including EPs with LPs. Pretty impressive, so I hope they keep that up!
I might get my wish on that, though, because apparently Station Masters, a 3-disc compilation of re-recordings of old songs (and some new ones) might get released in 3 separate volumes (which I would be OK with), and they're still working on those as the years go by. They also have a huge concept album in the works as well (a double album, I believe), so they've got PLENTY of material to release over the coming years, not to mention any live albums or EPs they decide to toss out there as well!
-Marc.
Don't forget the awesome The Difference Machine! I think it's crazy the Sean Filkins sounded a lot like David on that album :D I didn't even realize it was a different singer at first!
I think the two BBT albums with Sean Filkins are pretty underappteciated, Gathering Speed more so than The Difference Machine, but I really enjoy both. I agree, Sean sounds quite a bit like David on TDM, but I think that may have been a stylistic choice as it suits the music very well. I really hope one or two songs from that album get re-recorded for the Station Masters compilations - I'd love to hear David on that material!
-Marc.
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My Grimspound Vinyl has been sent the day before yesterday - when do you guys think it will arrive here in Germany? I can't wait :mehlin
I'd love the whole Difference Machine with David! I couldn't get into Gathering Speed too much though, don't know why. But TDM certainly is a great album, a lot more weird, rock-based and Crimso/VdGG-influenced than the following albums.
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I discovered this band on Monday! I went to amazon to Pre Order the new 'Mew' album, and glanced at the 'people who ordered this album also brought.....' section and first up was 'Grimspound'. I'd never heard of Big Big Train before so as I had a few minutes popped on to their wiki page - 'prog with folky undertones' sounded up my street. Off to youtube hit up 'Folklore' the song - Oh wow this is great. Off to iTunes (sorry physical media lovers) and brought the album, 3 spins later and I'm loving this band. Back to iTunes and brought the 'Full Power' double album - Holy shit this is even better! Got 'Grimspound' on order to now :)
I had a feeling I'd find a thread about em on this site :)
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I discovered this band on Monday! I went to amazon to Pre Order the new 'Mew' album, and glanced at the 'people who ordered this album also brought.....' section and first up was 'Grimspound'. I'd never heard of Big Big Train before so as I had a few minutes popped on to their wiki page - 'prog with folky undertones' sounded up my street. Off to youtube hit up 'Folklore' the song - Oh wow this is great. Off to iTunes (sorry physical media lovers) and brought the album, 3 spins later and I'm loving this band. Back to iTunes and brought the 'Full Power' double album - Holy shit this is even better! Got 'Grimspound' on order to now :)
I had a feeling I'd find a thread about em on this site :)
Welcome aboard the Train!
And Happy Grimspound Eve to one and all!
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I've heard a few songs here and there from this band (Folklore's title track and some songs from English Electric albums), and I know our local record store has English Electric Part I for sale, so I'm getting there tomorrow to grab that one, and possibly the new album if they have it.
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I've heard a few songs here and there from this band (Folklore's title track and some songs from English Electric albums), and I know our local record store has English Electric Part I for sale, so I'm getting there tomorrow to grab that one, and possibly the new album if they have it.
I'd recommend you to buy English Electric Full Power rather than the two parts separately. You'd have to get the Make Some Noise EP to get the complete thing. Also I think that EEFP is a great overall masterpiece as it is.
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I've heard a few songs here and there from this band (Folklore's title track and some songs from English Electric albums), and I know our local record store has English Electric Part I for sale, so I'm getting there tomorrow to grab that one, and possibly the new album if they have it.
I'd recommend you to buy English Electric Full Power rather than the two parts separately. You'd have to get the Make Some Noise EP to get the complete thing. Also I think that EEFP is a great overall masterpiece as it is.
I know, but then I'll have to pay shipping costs from abroad, and this will end up being way more expensive.
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So does anyone already have his Grimspound? I'm still sitting at home waiting for the mail guy to ring... I hope it arrives today.
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I listened to it twice. It's good (to hard to tell how good atm, and I'm very new to this band at the minute). Brave Captain, Ivy Gate & Mead Hall have stood out so far.
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Got my copy today, the old-fashioned way (ie. I went to the shop and bought it). Waiting until the evening for my first full playthrough though, as is my usual custom with new albums.
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Right now, As the crow flies is probably my favorite. Need to do more spins, the album is really well put together and beautiful.
Mead hall in winter is awesome too.
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My copy didn't arrive today >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Which means it won't arrive tomorrow and not Monday because of 1st of May, BUT TUESDAY!! I am so pissed, I was looking forward to hearing it this weekend so much.
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You can listen right now. They are cool enough to have a bandcamp
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/grimspound-hi-resolution-audio
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I got a download code from the band as well, but I wanted the first listen to be at home with my vinyl player :/
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An amazing album start to finish.
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Having listened several times, I can agree - the opener, "The Ivy Gate" and "A Mead Hall In Winter" are easy favorites, but I also really like NDV's drumming in the instrumental second track. The whole album feels more of a grower than Folklore did for me, but I think that's a good thing. I'd rather let this one sink in after some time.
Also, Greg posted today (or yesterday?) on Facebook that they won't have any new material next year (Yeah, they've spoiled us last year and this year), but will likely release volume 1 of Station Masters, so that's something to look forward to. Honestly, they could release SMv1 next year, their double-album concept in 2019, SMv2 in 2020, and then something else in 2021. I would just love to see them release a new album every year - a new studio album, a live album, or a compilation of re-recordings.
-Marc.
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I'm listening to the new album right now for the first time. It's an impressive piece of work so far. Right now I'm loving the track, A Mead Hall in Winter. They take you through so many twists and turns throughout the song. Besides the obvious Peter Gabriel-style vocals, the music reminds me of everything from Kansas to Pink Floyd to Gentle Giant. These guys never disappoint.
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Sorry I think I missed something, what is the Station Masters please? :huh:
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Depending on how the new Anathema turns out, this Grimspound may be my album of the year. I like it more and more with each listen
I do hope that the female singer is on more songs in future releases though. She is really good
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I'm listening to the new album right now for the first time. It's an impressive piece of work so far. Right now I'm loving the track, A Mead Hall in Winter. They take you through so many twists and turns throughout the song. Besides the obvious Peter Gabriel-style vocals, the music reminds me of everything from Kansas to Pink Floyd to Gentle Giant. These guys never disappoint.
"A Mead Hall In Winter" just might be the track of the album for me, and not just because it's the longest song, but because it just has so many great moments and the way they get into the chorus with its soaring vocal melody just hits me in all the right spots. The lyrics are very romantic too, and I like their songs like that. Everything about AMHIW is just spot-on.
I too got the huge Kansas-vibe in "Brave Captain", as well as an Hogarth-era Marillion vibe in the middle of that song, where David's vocals are using an effect and it's a rising melody with a great build-up - VERY Marillion-ish there! These guys all definitely hit some influential vibes but do it all in a way that keeps it consistent and unique to BBT and doesn't smell of cheap-rip-off-ness.
Sorry I think I missed something, what is the Station Masters please? :huh:
According to what I can find on the band's blogspot, it was first announced back on a blog post back in September 2013:
"We have commenced work on a new album as well as the Station Masters retrospective and Nick returns to England at the end of September for some more recording."
After that, the next mention of it was a few months later in January of 2014:
"Alongside our Real World preparation we are well into recording a new studio album, and work continues on Station Masters where we are revisiting some of our earlier songs with the new line-up."
A year after the initial announcement, in September 2014, this was post:
"We are slowly making progress with the Station Masters retrospective release and will try to get that finished off alongside the new songs."
Since 2014, however, news on the compilation's progress has been sparse until as of late. I think it was originally one or two discs, but not it seems to have been realized as a three-volume retrospective of re-recordings, which may sound like a lot, but they have plenty of material to pick and choose from in their Pre-Longdon/TUY days, so even 3-4 hours worth of re-recordings would be great, but not everything (because I would LOVE to hear their pre-TUY albums all re-done with the new line-up).
Either way, it seems like Station Masters Volume 1 is set for release next year, hopefully. It was originally meant for a 2014 release, but I suppose doing live shows and getting Folklore and Grimspound put together took a long time, too.
Depending on how the new Anathema turns out, this Grimspound may be my album of the year. I like it more and more with each listen
I do hope that the female singer is on more songs in future releases though. She is really good
BBT have been in Top 5 albums of the year for me every time they've released a new album, so this one stands a good chance at being AOTY for me, though like you said, its got some competition, especially if Anathema puts out a good one, but for me, there's also Ayreon (which I need to listen to more), The Tangent, and possibly the third Flying Colors album. Either way, it's another good year for new prog! And I agree, the female vocalist adds a nice touch to the band!
-Marc.
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I'm listening to the new album right now for the first time. It's an impressive piece of work so far. Right now I'm loving the track, A Mead Hall in Winter. They take you through so many twists and turns throughout the song. Besides the obvious Peter Gabriel-style vocals, the music reminds me of everything from Kansas to Pink Floyd to Gentle Giant. These guys never disappoint.
"A Mead Hall In Winter" just might be the track of the album for me, and not just because it's the longest song, but because it just has so many great moments and the way they get into the chorus with its soaring vocal melody just hits me in all the right spots. The lyrics are very romantic too, and I like their songs like that. Everything about AMHIW is just spot-on.
I too got the huge Kansas-vibe in "Brave Captain", as well as an Hogarth-era Marillion vibe in the middle of that song, where David's vocals are using an effect and it's a rising melody with a great build-up - VERY Marillion-ish there! These guys all definitely hit some influential vibes but do it all in a way that keeps it consistent and unique to BBT and doesn't smell of cheap-rip-off-ness.
I always feel like they throw a curve ball at you. Just when you think they're done with the surprises, they hit you with something else. It's great.
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I couldn't resist and listened to Grimspound in my car a few times and - WOW what an album! I love that their music is getting more old-fashioned from record to record. Also I feel like this album sounds a little more (I don't know if you can say it like that in English) wooden in terms of arrangement and instrumentation than Folklore & especially Underfall. More woodwinds, more violin, less horn, trombone, trumpet. Which makes Grimspound more of an English Electric follower to me, although it is obviously a Folklore companion. That can be heard in three songs I think. Just in terms of sound it reminds me more of EEFP.
I also noticed the H/Marillion influence on Brave Captain, and saw that David thanked the members of Marillion in the liner notes. Only thing is - Marillion have never managed to put out an album so organic, unified and beautiful as the last few BBT albums were. In my opinion.
Rikards influence can be heard very much on A Mead Hall In Winter, a thought that came to my mind before I read the liner notes. And in fact, he and (I think) David wrote this awesome song. Great to see that Rikard can have some influence in the bands composition. I would love it if Nick would do the same. Good to hear some Nick vocals on AMHIW though, even if it's only for a few lines. I think it would be cool to hear some more Nick/Rikard vocals. This band has three members in them who are or used to be lead singers in a band!
I still have to listen to it a lot more, but it seems like my vinyl won't arrive today either >:( I'm starting to be a little afraid that it got lost somewhere :(
The Station Master thing sounds awesome, thanks for the info! I would love the old tunes rerecorded since I never really got into them. But arrangement can do a lot with a song, therefore I think they will make something awesome with those songs.
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As someone who only listened to this band a week ago, I think Grimspound is the weakest album I've heard so far, I still really enjoy it a lot - this band are amazing. I just rate Folklore and Full Power slightly higher. I'm actually downloading 'The Underfall Yard' and 'Far Skies Deep Time' as I'm typing this, so really looking forward to listening to them later on today. Great band!
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The Underfall Yard is still their strongest album in my opinion.
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So I did some more digging around the web with regards to Station Masters, and found a BBT blog post that says:
"We also had time to record drums for some tracks for Station Masters, including Make Some Noise and new versions of Fighter Command and Summer's Lease." (https://bigbigtrain.blogspot.com/2011/12/recording-english-electric.html)
This was from December of 2011, when they were recording English Electric, but as we all know, "Make Some Noise" would eventually make it to an EP and English Electric Full Power, so it's definitely not going to be on Station Masters (as far as I know).
"Fighter Command" comes from Gathering Speed and "Summer's Lease" from The Difference Machine, so the Filkins-Era albums are definitely getting some re-recordings done, but with 3-4 hours worth of time to fill as 3 volumes of compilations, that only covers less than 18 minutes of music (unless they somehow add or take away from the original songs and alter the length drastically).
-Marc.
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I read an interview online a couple of days ago regarding 'Grimspound'. It was originally going to be a companion EP to Folklore called 'Skylon' from leftover material from the 'Folklore' sessions. However they were on such a rich vain of creativity they basically wrote and recorded a new album and the only one song that was going to be part of 'Skylon' made the new album, the title track 'Grimspound'. Also there were extra songs part of the 'Grimspound' recording that didn't make the album. So in theory they still have the songs originally intended as the 'Skylon' EP (appariently there is a song called Skylon) and another batch of songs from the 'Grimspound' recording to air at some point!
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I am getting more and more into this album, and this band. How great are their arrangements?? Makes other prog bands' instrumentations like Spock's or NM Band look pretty uninspired..
Also the lyrics! Far away from Fantasy stories, monsters, "I love God so should you" and "I love you and miss you". Remember the lyrics for WINKIE? No? You should read them right now, it's very interesting :omg:
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Grimspound has reached 45 in the UK Albums Chart, Big Big Train's first appearance in the chart. And it's at number 1 in the Rock Album Chart, which is awesome!
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Absolutely loving this band. Full Power and Folklore are fast moving up my list of favorite albums of all time and Grimspound and the Underfall Yard aren't far behind. I found 'Lost Rivers of London' yesterday from the Wassail EP - and it's yet another great song. I'm a bit nervous about going further back into their catalog with a different singer. Whats the general consensus here?
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The Difference Machine is a fantastic album and Sean Filkins' voice is actually not too different from David. I didn't even notice the difference in the beginning.
I could never get into their albums before TDM though.
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Surprise announcement (https://teamrock.com/news/2017-06-21/big-big-train-to-release-new-album-later-this-week) of a new Big Big Train album, The Second Brightest Star, coming this Friday (23rd June). 40 minutes of new tracks (7), plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Now this is what you call being on a creative roll!
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I am super excited! Already ordered the colored vinyl. Anyone heard the new song yet??
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Surprise announcement (https://teamrock.com/news/2017-06-21/big-big-train-to-release-new-album-later-this-week) of a new Big Big Train album, The Second Brightest Star, coming this Friday (23rd June). 40 minutes of new tracks (7), plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Now this is what you call being on a creative roll!
Wow. Seriously Holy Fuck.
Only a day to wait!
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This new album also answers the question of what happened to Skylon, the title track for the original Folklore-companion EP, before it became the full-length Grimspound album.
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Anyone got their download link already?
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I bought my CD BurningShed, but being the impatient bastard that I am, I also bought the download from their BandCamp, so I got my album yesterday morning a few hours after it went up (which was something like 3:45am - I had given up seeing if it would go up early by like 2am and fell asleep). I've spun it about 3 or 4 times, but most of that has been casual listening (at home, at work), but for the couple times I've listened to the new (first seven) tracks intently, they're pretty good. Quite a bit different for BBT, but still fitting into the material that they've produced since the English Electric albums. By coincidence, the four longer tracks of the first seven are my favorites, but the other, shorter tracks have their charm as well.
The extended "Grimlore" tracks offer new insight into songs we've already heard, but it's nice to hear the connection between "On The Racing Line" and "Brooklands", as well as a new prelude to "London Plane", as well as an odd reprisal at the very end of the album. You'll definitely hear similar themes and melodies throughout this collection, but as a stand-alone album, it's definitely not as strong as Grimspound or even Folklore (my favorite of the three total).
Either way, as BBT fans go, we've been super spoiled in the last 13 months, getting practically 3 full-length albums with over 3 hours of new material. And they STILL have the 3-disc Station Masters collection coming out, as well as a double-disc concept album that they have been working on!!! It seriously boggles my mind at how much material they've put together in recent years!
-Marc.
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I bought my CD BurningShed, but being the impatient bastard that I am, I also bought the download from their BandCamp, so I got my album yesterday morning a few hours after it went up (which was something like 3:45am - I had given up seeing if it would go up early by like 2am and fell asleep). I've spun it about 3 or 4 times, but most of that has been casual listening (at home, at work), but for the couple times I've listened to the new (first seven) tracks intently, they're pretty good. Quite a bit different for BBT, but still fitting into the material that they've produced since the English Electric albums. By coincidence, the four longer tracks of the first seven are my favorites, but the other, shorter tracks have their charm as well.
The extended "Grimlore" tracks offer new insight into songs we've already heard, but it's nice to hear the connection between "On The Racing Line" and "Brooklands", as well as a new prelude to "London Plane", as well as an odd reprisal at the very end of the album. You'll definitely hear similar themes and melodies throughout this collection, but as a stand-alone album, it's definitely not as strong as Grimspound or even Folklore (my favorite of the three total).
Either way, as BBT fans go, we've been super spoiled in the last 13 months, getting practically 3 full-length albums with over 3 hours of new material. And they STILL have the 3-disc Station Masters collection coming out, as well as a double-disc concept album that they have been working on!!! It seriously boggles my mind at how much material they've put together in recent years!
-Marc.
Wow that sounds pretty good!! I can't wait to hear the album, I hope it arrives with the mail today. I am very interested in the last three songs, it sounds like they might close the trilogy with themes from the previous two albums, which might make this trilogy super awesome.
I hope, the Station Master thing is coming out someday, I love the sound of this BBT incarnation. But I have not heard of any new concept album they've been working on! With all the stuff they've been putting out, that sounds pretty crazy :D Where did you get that information?
Thanks for the mini review :)
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Got to wait till I get to hear this unfortunately. The one review I managed to find so far kind off mirrored 'The Letter M' thoughts above - decent enough but mostly a B-Side quality (2 or 3 instrumentals) compared to Folklore/Grimspound. 'The Leaden Stour' being the standout track.
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Wow that sounds pretty good!! I can't wait to hear the album, I hope it arrives with the mail today. I am very interested in the last three songs, it sounds like they might close the trilogy with themes from the previous two albums, which might make this trilogy super awesome.
As of yesterday, Tuesday the 27th, I hadn't received my copy from BurningShed, but it takes awhile for things to cross the Atlantic and get to my home, so I'm patient. I'm just happy to have it digitally, and in high quality! Yes, this trilogy of albums certainly rivals the work they did between English Electric, The Underfall Yard and Far Skies Deep Time. This whole run of albums might be one of my favorite run of albums by any band I've come to know and love! There's so much depth and detail in their music, there's always more to discover and love with each listen!
I hope, the Station Master thing is coming out someday, I love the sound of this BBT incarnation.
I, too, hope that Station Masters will come out soon, though having TWO albums this year has spoiled a lot of us Passengers (what BBT fans call ourselves in the BBT Facebook group), so I'd be VERY surprised if the first of three Station Masters albums comes out between now and the end of the year, but they have been working on those tracks for quite a few years now, so who knows!
But I have not heard of any new concept album they've been working on! With all the stuff they've been putting out, that sounds pretty crazy :D Where did you get that information?
Greg Spawton is pretty open about what they're working on when commenting and replying to fans on Facebook, so when I made a comment about how English Electric, Folklore, and Grimspound all have E-F-G as their first initials, he said that their next album (and concept double) has a working title that begins with the letter H, though now that we have The Second Brightest Star, if you consider if a full-length album and less of a companion to the albums before it, it breaks the alphabetical streak of album titles. Ah well...
Thanks for the mini review :)
You're quite welcome! Big Big Train have fastly become a Top 5 band for me in the last few years, and they seem to impress more and more with each major release (and I say major release because, despite being album length, TSBS, to me, is still a companion to Folklore and Grimspound, so it's not *really* their next full-length major album in my eyes, just a collection of bonus tracks that were taken from or inspired by the sessions that birthed Folklore and Grimspound).
-Marc.
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Maybe Station Masters will be released through the course of 2018-19, then the next album of new material in either late-2019 or early 2020 (which is only 3 years away, bizarrely).
I was thinking earlier about what to call TSBS. It's too long to be an EP or a mini-album, but it also doesn't feel like their 11th studio album, because a little less than half of it is expanded versions of tracks from FL/GP.
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Of course I have and love The Second Brightest Star by now, and I feel like this album just makes the other two more perfect! It fits in perfectly, rounds up the whole thing as a huge trilogy.
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I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.
Day 1: The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star
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I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.
Day 1: The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star
I have definitely thought of this as well, and have done plenty of listens with those first two sets. Don't forget to include "Kingmaker" in with FSDT (if your copy has "Master Of Time" - "Kingmaker" makes a great opening track for the EP, and it turns it into a 6-track, album-length adventure that is one of my favorites to listen to front to back).
Of these, it seems like each course gets longer and longer. Day 1 would be 01:52:04, Day 2 comes in at 02:15:11, and Day 3 totals at 03:39:04 (though, if you don't include the original cuts of "On The Racing Line", "Brooklands" or "London Plane", then it goes down to a slightly more manageable 03:11:05).
It's astounding to think that they've released 7 hours, 18 minutes, and 20 seconds of studio material in the last 8 years, and they've got even more to come!!!
-Marc.
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I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.
Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star
FTFY
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I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.
Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star
FTFY
Is TDM part of the Albion cycle? I thought it started with TUY, when David Longdon joined. The band have never included TDM as part of it when talking about it. It's always "the sequence of albums starting with The Underfall Yard".
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I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.
Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star
FTFY
Is TDM part of the Albion cycle? I thought it started with TUY, when David Longdon joined. The band have never included TDM as part of it when talking about it. It's always "the sequence of albums starting with The Underfall Yard".
As far as I know, TDM is *not* part of the Albion Cycle, which only includes TUY up to, and concluding with, TSBS.
I think the intention of adding TDM is because the material released on FSDT including songs from the TDM sessions - "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea". Of the others, "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for TUY as part of a suite, and was the Anthony Phillips cover "Master Of Time". With regards to the remaining song, "British Racing Green", after doing some research, I stumbled upon the BBT blogspot from an entry 7 years ago, with a comment by Greg Spawton responding to a question:
"BRG goes back as far as English Boy Wonders. We found it too depressing for that album (it's not a very cheerful tune. Subsequently, one or two 'echoes' of the song found their way onto Bard.
More recently,we asked Nick to work up a drum part for the original tune and then handed it over to David to re-work it.
In a nutshell, the words and the tune are the same as the original song but the arrangement is very different (we have allowed ourselves to show a bit of our love for Prefab Sprout and 10cc.)"
So there you have it, the history behind the five tracks from Far Skies Deep Time. Oh, and of course, "Kingmaker" (the alternate track 1) comes from their second early Demo, The Infant Hercules, their first foray into re-doing old music for their new line-up, and without knowing if it's true or not, probably the spark that lit the fire for them doing Station Masters, now that they've had a stable line-up since 2009. I've always wanted this line-up to go back and re-record TDM, as a sort of "Zeroth Album" by this line-up, to have it fit consistently with their material since Longdon and D'Virgilio joined in full capacity, but that's probably not as likely.
...unless of course they go "Full Power" on us and release a TDM/TUY/FSDT compilation, restoring whatever suite "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for, as well as combining "From The Wide Open Sea" and "The Wide Open Sea" into a cohesive piece. Throw in "Kingmaker" for anyone who doesn't own it physically (like me when I luckily started collecting PROG magazine, and it was featured on their 18th issue's free CD), and you've got a complete collection of material that birthed the Albion Cycle!
-Marc.
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I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.
Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star
FTFY
Is TDM part of the Albion cycle? I thought it started with TUY, when David Longdon joined. The band have never included TDM as part of it when talking about it. It's always "the sequence of albums starting with The Underfall Yard".
As far as I know, TDM is *not* part of the Albion Cycle, which only includes TUY up to, and concluding with, TSBS.
I think the intention of adding TDM is because the material released on FSDT including songs from the TDM sessions - "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea". Of the others, "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for TUY as part of a suite, and was the Anthony Phillips cover "Master Of Time". With regards to the remaining song, "British Racing Green", after doing some research, I stumbled upon the BBT blogspot from an entry 7 years ago, with a comment by Greg Spawton responding to a question:
"BRG goes back as far as English Boy Wonders. We found it too depressing for that album (it's not a very cheerful tune. Subsequently, one or two 'echoes' of the song found their way onto Bard.
So there you have it, the history behind the five tracks from Far Skies Deep Time. Oh, and of course, "Kingmaker" (the alternate track 1) comes from their second early Demo, The Infant Hercules, their first foray into re-doing old music for their new line-up, and without knowing if it's true or not, probably the spark that lit the fire for them doing Station Masters, now that they've had a stable line-up since 2009. I've always wanted this line-up to go back and re-record TDM, as a sort of "Zeroth Album" by this line-up, to have it fit consistently with their material since Longdon and D'Virgilio joined in full capacity, but that's probably not as likely.
...unless of course they go "Full Power" on us and release a TDM/TUY/FSDT compilation, restoring whatever suite "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for, as well as combining "From The Wide Open Sea" and "The Wide Open Sea" into a cohesive piece. Throw in "Kingmaker" for anyone who doesn't own it physically (like me when I luckily started collecting PROG magazine, and it was featured on their 18th issue's free CD), and you've got a complete collection of material that birthed the Albion Cycle!
-Marc.
Thanks for saying exactly what I was gonna say Marc :D
I thought of that because of the musical parallels between TDM and FSDT that Marc mentioned. And I think it fits very well!
BTW, I asked David if they intend to release TUY on vinyl, they said that they plan to do it within the next 2 years. I hope they also release Fas Skies on vinyl!! I would love if they included Fat Billy on Underfall (since t's from the same sessions and it's awesome with its Cinema Show inspired solo) and add Kingmaker to Far Skies instead. Like this:
Underfall
1. Evening Star
2. Master James Of St. George
3. Victorian Brickwork
4. Fat Billy Shouts Mine
5. Last Train
6. Winchester Driver
7. The Underfall Yard
Far Skies
1. Master Of Time
2. Kingmaker
3. British Racing Green
4. Brambling
5. The Wide Open Sea
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"God's speed be with you
God's speed be with you, Winkiiiiieeeeeeeeee"
Damn I love that song :hat
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Winkie's probably my 2nd favourite song on Folklore, after London Plane. If only all history lessons were this awesome...
Meanwhile, I've ordered The Second Brightest Star, so I've got that to look forward to.
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Winkie is super awesome, I agree. But I can NEVER hold still at that one part in BROOKLANDS, at 9:45. I always go totally nuts when Nick comes in with that killer fill and beats the hell out of that 5/4.
My dad and I went from Dresden to Krems the other day for University reasons and I ONLY put on Big Big Train while we were going. On the way there Folklore - Grim - Star and on the way back Underfall - Full Power. So in conclusion, he is a PASSENGER now TOO :D
I realized how great EEFP is as well. Of course I knew that but I haven't listened to it in a while and it blew me away completely. Every song on that record is at least very good. Some are totally mindblowing. Man I can't get enough of this band
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Winkie is super awesome, I agree. But I can NEVER hold still at that one part in BROOKLANDS, at 9:45. I always go totally nuts when Nick comes in with that killer fill and beats the hell out of that 5/4.
That's a fantastic section too! It literally puts you in the driver's seat, racing around Brooklands itself. That section feels even quicker than the initial "racing" 5/4 instrumental earlier in the track.
In plenty of BBT's music, the instrumental sections give you images just as well as those sections with lyrics. For another example, it's quite easy to picture Winkie the pigeon flying across the vast oceans on her rescue mission during the break following "She takes to the sky".
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Wait.. didn't grimspound just come out? What's this second brightest star stuff?
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Wait.. didn't grimspound just come out? What's this second brightest star stuff?
7 more tracks from the Grimspound sessions, plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Announced just 2 days before release a few weeks ago.
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Wait.. didn't grimspound just come out? What's this second brightest star stuff?
7 more tracks from the Grimspound sessions, plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Announced just 2 days before release a few weeks ago.
That's not *entirely* accurate. The 7 "new" tracks are a mix of Grimspound and Folklore ideas that never got finished in time for their respective albums, as well as new songs written specifically for this release, such as the title track, which takes it's title from the title track of Grimspound.
I don't have the time at the moment to comb through two weeks of threads on the BBT Facebook group, but I am fairly certain that is what Greg Spawton had said with regards to TSBS's new songs. I was hoping to find a definitive blog post or something that outlines each song's history and story, but no such luck in my limited time. I'm sure if I asked in the group, Greg or David would give an answer fairly quickly. I just didn't want there to be any misunderstanding as to where the seven new tracks came from, if there was any confusion at all.
-Marc.
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I got my copy of The Second Brightest Star today. Favourite track on first listen, I think, is Skylon, although the title track comes close.
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After some days of thought and deliberation, I've come up with my own "Albion III" Tracklist (Wassail/Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS), divided into 4 conceptual LPs:
LP1 - The Lore & Myths
Side 1 - Folklore, Along The Ridgeway, Salisbury Giant, Grimspound
Side 2 - Wassail, Haymaking, The Leaden Stour, The Ivy Gate
LP2 - The London Sequence
Side 1 - Turner On The Thames/London Plane, Mudlarks, Lost Rivers Of London
Side 2 - London Stone, Skylon, A Mead Hall In Winter
LP3 - In Science And Art
Side 1 - Meadowland, The Second Brightest Star, Experimental Gentlemen
Side 2 - The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun, Terra Australis Incognita, As The Crow Flies, The Gentlemen's Reprise
LP4 - The True Stories
Side 1 - Brave Captain, The Passing Widow, Winkie
Side 2 - On The Racing Line/Brooklands, Telling The Bees
This was the best I could muster up, being a young 33 y/o American with little knowledge of British history and folklore, using only what I could find in the lyrics and liner-notes for ideas on how to conceptualize the post-EEFP music. Each "LP" runs about 49/50 minutes long, though the third one comes in at a shorter 42:17.
I wanted to open the whole thing with the first three tracks of Folklore because the sequencing was pretty good already, and with that in mind, I sought to collect the other tracks with roots in folklore and myth, and I think I've done that to a fair degree here. The challenge was finding an arrangement that worked with each song, and closing Side 1 with "Grimspound" seemed approrpriate. My other goal was to open side 2 with "Wassail", so that left placing the last three tracks into a good-sounding order. I put "Haymaking" next because continuing the beautiful violin playing at the end of "Wassail" seemed to work, and closing with "The Ivy Gate" fits pretty well, with its rainy fadeout.
For the sequence of the second LP, I wanted to keep the LP/Mudlarks/LROL sequence from the Folklore vinyl, so that left finding a home for "London Stone" and "Skylon" on side 2, and opening with "London Stone" book-ends that side very well with its melodic reprise in "A Mead Hall In Winter". Everything seemed to fall into place pretty well with this LP after all was said and done. It was the first of the four that I finished re-arranging!
For what I dub the "In Science And Art" LP, I wanted to open with "Meadowland" to echo the closing of the previous LP (with its obvious connection to AMHIW). "Experimental Gentlemen" had to come first before "Terra Australis Incognita" and the Reprise, so it had to be on Side 1, which was fleshed out with "The Second Brightest Star". Oddly enough, sequencing "Experimental Gentlemen" before "Transit" worked thematically according to the story in the liner notes about Captain Cook's voyages. This just meant sorting the last three songs into an order that worked, and closing with the short reprisal mirrors opening with one on this LP.
Lastly, the "True Stories" LP, the songs whose inspiration comes from real people, places and times (with slight exception to the closer). Going through the liner notes and lyrics, I started to see a selection of songs that were based on true stories, and oddly enough, there seemed to be enough to cover a 50-minute LP! I wanted to close with the sequence the closed Folklore, no doubt, and so that meant sorting out the other 3 tracks into an agreeable order. Opening with "Brave Captain" seemed like a no-brainer to me, and closing the first half of this LP with "Winkie" worked for me, as I felt putting "The Passing Widow" between those two giant prog songs felt like a beautiful breather.
(Shared from my post in the BBT Facebook group)
-Marc.
-
After some days of thought and deliberation, I've come up with my own "Albion III" Tracklist (Wassail/Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS), divided into 4 conceptual LPs:
LP1 - The Lore & Myths
Side 1 - Folklore, Along The Ridgeway, Salisbury Giant, Grimspound
Side 2 - Wassail, Haymaking, The Leaden Stour, The Ivy Gate
LP2 - The London Sequence
Side 1 - Turner On The Thames/London Plane, Mudlarks, Lost Rivers Of London
Side 2 - London Stone, Skylon, A Mead Hall In Winter
LP3 - In Science And Art
Side 1 - Meadowland, The Second Brightest Star, Experimental Gentlemen
Side 2 - The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun, Terra Australis Incognita, As The Crow Flies, The Gentlemen's Reprise
LP4 - The True Stories
Side 1 - Brave Captain, The Passing Widow, Winkie
Side 2 - On The Racing Line/Brooklands, Telling The Bees
This was the best I could muster up, being a young 33 y/o American with little knowledge of British history and folklore, using only what I could find in the lyrics and liner-notes for ideas on how to conceptualize the post-EEFP music. Each "LP" runs about 49/50 minutes long, though the third one comes in at a shorter 42:17.
I wanted to open the whole thing with the first three tracks of Folklore because the sequencing was pretty good already, and with that in mind, I sought to collect the other tracks with roots in folklore and myth, and I think I've done that to a fair degree here. The challenge was finding an arrangement that worked with each song, and closing Side 1 with "Grimspound" seemed approrpriate. My other goal was to open side 2 with "Wassail", so that left placing the last three tracks into a good-sounding order. I put "Haymaking" next because continuing the beautiful violin playing at the end of "Wassail" seemed to work, and closing with "The Ivy Gate" fits pretty well, with its rainy fadeout.
For the sequence of the second LP, I wanted to keep the LP/Mudlarks/LROL sequence from the Folklore vinyl, so that left finding a home for "London Stone" and "Skylon" on side 2, and opening with "London Stone" book-ends that side very well with its melodic reprise in "A Mead Hall In Winter". Everything seemed to fall into place pretty well with this LP after all was said and done. It was the first of the four that I finished re-arranging!
For what I dub the "In Science And Art" LP, I wanted to open with "Meadowland" to echo the closing of the previous LP (with its obvious connection to AMHIW). "Experimental Gentlemen" had to come first before "Terra Australis Incognita" and the Reprise, so it had to be on Side 1, which was fleshed out with "The Second Brightest Star". Oddly enough, sequencing "Experimental Gentlemen" before "Transit" worked thematically according to the story in the liner notes about Captain Cook's voyages. This just meant sorting the last three songs into an order that worked, and closing with the short reprisal mirrors opening with one on this LP.
Lastly, the "True Stories" LP, the songs whose inspiration comes from real people, places and times (with slight exception to the closer). Going through the liner notes and lyrics, I started to see a selection of songs that were based on true stories, and oddly enough, there seemed to be enough to cover a 50-minute LP! I wanted to close with the sequence the closed Folklore, no doubt, and so that meant sorting out the other 3 tracks into an agreeable order. Opening with "Brave Captain" seemed like a no-brainer to me, and closing the first half of this LP with "Winkie" worked for me, as I felt putting "The Passing Widow" between those two giant prog songs felt like a beautiful breather.
(Shared from my post in the BBT Facebook group)
-Marc.
That looks awesome! I love the titles you've given to the individual discs.
-
After some days of thought and deliberation, I've come up with my own "Albion III" Tracklist (Wassail/Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS), divided into 4 conceptual LPs:
LP1 - The Lore & Myths
Side 1 - Folklore, Along The Ridgeway, Salisbury Giant, Grimspound
Side 2 - Wassail, Haymaking, The Leaden Stour, The Ivy Gate
LP2 - The London Sequence
Side 1 - Turner On The Thames/London Plane, Mudlarks, Lost Rivers Of London
Side 2 - London Stone, Skylon, A Mead Hall In Winter
LP3 - In Science And Art
Side 1 - Meadowland, The Second Brightest Star, Experimental Gentlemen
Side 2 - The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun, Terra Australis Incognita, As The Crow Flies, The Gentlemen's Reprise
LP4 - The True Stories
Side 1 - Brave Captain, The Passing Widow, Winkie
Side 2 - On The Racing Line/Brooklands, Telling The Bees
This was the best I could muster up, being a young 33 y/o American with little knowledge of British history and folklore, using only what I could find in the lyrics and liner-notes for ideas on how to conceptualize the post-EEFP music. Each "LP" runs about 49/50 minutes long, though the third one comes in at a shorter 42:17.
I wanted to open the whole thing with the first three tracks of Folklore because the sequencing was pretty good already, and with that in mind, I sought to collect the other tracks with roots in folklore and myth, and I think I've done that to a fair degree here. The challenge was finding an arrangement that worked with each song, and closing Side 1 with "Grimspound" seemed approrpriate. My other goal was to open side 2 with "Wassail", so that left placing the last three tracks into a good-sounding order. I put "Haymaking" next because continuing the beautiful violin playing at the end of "Wassail" seemed to work, and closing with "The Ivy Gate" fits pretty well, with its rainy fadeout.
For the sequence of the second LP, I wanted to keep the LP/Mudlarks/LROL sequence from the Folklore vinyl, so that left finding a home for "London Stone" and "Skylon" on side 2, and opening with "London Stone" book-ends that side very well with its melodic reprise in "A Mead Hall In Winter". Everything seemed to fall into place pretty well with this LP after all was said and done. It was the first of the four that I finished re-arranging!
For what I dub the "In Science And Art" LP, I wanted to open with "Meadowland" to echo the closing of the previous LP (with its obvious connection to AMHIW). "Experimental Gentlemen" had to come first before "Terra Australis Incognita" and the Reprise, so it had to be on Side 1, which was fleshed out with "The Second Brightest Star". Oddly enough, sequencing "Experimental Gentlemen" before "Transit" worked thematically according to the story in the liner notes about Captain Cook's voyages. This just meant sorting the last three songs into an order that worked, and closing with the short reprisal mirrors opening with one on this LP.
Lastly, the "True Stories" LP, the songs whose inspiration comes from real people, places and times (with slight exception to the closer). Going through the liner notes and lyrics, I started to see a selection of songs that were based on true stories, and oddly enough, there seemed to be enough to cover a 50-minute LP! I wanted to close with the sequence the closed Folklore, no doubt, and so that meant sorting out the other 3 tracks into an agreeable order. Opening with "Brave Captain" seemed like a no-brainer to me, and closing the first half of this LP with "Winkie" worked for me, as I felt putting "The Passing Widow" between those two giant prog songs felt like a beautiful breather.
(Shared from my post in the BBT Facebook group)
-Marc.
That looks awesome! I love the titles you've given to the individual discs.
Dude that's awesome, I will have to listen through the whole thing like this when I drive to the Loreley festival tomorrow. I sometimes thought "no I would have done this differently", but after reading your text, I fully get it now.
BTW I am also in the BBT FB group, I am the guy who posted the three pictures with my friend taking the Sunday off listening through the Trilogy!
-
--snip--
-Marc.
That looks awesome! I love the titles you've given to the individual discs.
Thanks! Yeah, the titles were pretty much on-the-fly, and with a bit more thought and time, I probably could've picked a couple better ones, but they seem to fit each LP's "theme" that is weaved throughout the songs on them.
Dude that's awesome, I will have to listen through the whole thing like this when I drive to the Loreley festival tomorrow. I sometimes thought "no I would have done this differently", but after reading your text, I fully get it now.
BTW I am also in the BBT FB group, I am the guy who posted the three pictures with my friend taking the Sunday off listening through the Trilogy!
I saw your pics! Looks like a cracking good time! :tup Let me know what you think of my running order after you give it a chance. Granted, it's a 3+ hour tracklist, so you can take it in four chunks, as the faux-LPs I have made up, and give me your thoughts on those. I made it so that each LP can sort of stand alone and flow like its own album with a beginning, middle and end, but there are a lot of themes, both lyrically and melodically, that flow throughout the whole album, like how LP2 ends with "A Mead Hall In Winter" and LP3 begins with "Meadowland", which a sort of mini-sister song to "Mead Hall" in that it shares some lyrics and melodies.
-Marc.
-
Finally got my copy of Second Brightest Star over the weekend. Firstly it's more 'Big Big Train' music, which is great, but overall it does feel a little bit like the leftovers, which is basically what it is. You have five new tracks, and a couple of instrumentals (London Stone & Terra Austrailis) that are slight reworks of sections of songs we've heard before - which I don't really think add much at all. The five new track are all fine 'Leaden Stour' is probably the only one I'd class as a really good BBT song, I'd have personally liked to have seen 'Lost Rivers of London' make this album as I think it's a absolute gem hidden away on the Wassail EP.
The extended versions of Brooklands and London Plane (a new amazing intro) are worthy additions, not so sure about Gentleman's Reprise though.
Overall a nice enough package, but it feels like what it is - the last few remaining songs from a very productive era. It's definitely the weakest album, but then again it probably was always going to be, and you can't be to harsh on a band that have given up so much music in such a small space of time!
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I like the main album (the first seven tracks) a lot - great accompaniment to the last two albums. The three "reworkings" seem completely pointless to me.
-
I kind of treat TSBS as two separate EPs. More often than not, I'll probably just stop after track 7.
-
I have an Uncle who I believe would really like this band, he's very much into his 70's prog. He's not tech savoy so I can't just point him in the direction of spotify, so I attempted to create him a couple of CD's worth on Material - once I started this task I realised two CD's simply wasn't enough - so I upped it to three................and now it's ended up at four.
It's taken me the entire afternoon to do this. Each CD has 10 Tracks of which I've tried to stick to a formula, and tried to mix the tracks from the albums around, and keep the quality over the 4 CD's roughly even. Each CD is roughly the same length all in the 78-79 minutes long.
This is material from "The Underfall Yard" onwards.
The formula for each CD is.
Track 1 - A Quality attention grabber.
Track 2 - Upbeat.
Track 3 - Shorter of two epics.
Track 4 - A Mid length great track.
Track 5 - Shorter Filler.
Track 6 - Longer of two epics
Track 7 - Ballad.
Track 8 - Longer Filler.
Track 9 - Short Song/Instrumental.
Track 10 - Closer.
Filler is just a term for the songs that didn't fit the other places. Anyway these are the 4 CD's (name shorted as I was working this out of a spreadsheet /geek).
CD1
1. Folklore
2. Brambling
3. Kingmaker
4. Swan Hunter
5. Leaden Stour
6. Meadhall
7. Grimspound
8. Boy In Darkness
9. Sailisbury Giant
10. Butterflies
CD2
1. Winkie
2. Keeper of Abbeys
3. Brave Captain
4. Seen Better Days
5. Skylon
6. London Plane (Extended Version)
7. Leopards
8. Winchester Diver
9. Uncle Jack
10. Hedgerow
CD3
1. Make Some Noise
2. Lost Rivers
3. Gentlemen
4. Wassail
5. Fat Billy
6. Underfall
7. Upton Heath
8. St Giles
9. Meadowlands
10. Telling the Bees
CD4
1. Judas
2. Master James
3. Victorian Brickwork
4. Venus
5. The Ivy Gate
6. Brooklands
7. Passing Widow
8. Rebreather
9. Haymaking
10. Permanent Way
Sadly these didn't make the cut (ironically these 10 tracks could easily be a fifth CD or good quality).
Worked Out
The Lovers
East Coast Racer
Last Train
Ridgeway
Wide Open Sea
Summoned By Bells
Second Brightest Star
Edgelands
Crow Flies
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These guys are on fire! I hope this is not cheesy though.
MERRY CHRISTMAS by Big Big Train
Three times Progressive Music Award winning band, Big Big Train, will be releasing their first Christmas single on December 8th 2017.
The single is called Merry Christmas and will be released on 8th December on limited edition 7-inch snow white vinyl (with a gatefold cover), digipack CD, high-resolution and standard-resolution download and streaming. The vinyl, CD and high-resolution download versions of the release will feature a ‘b’ side called Snowfalls.
The artwork for Merry Christmas has been painted by Sarah Louise Ewing and will also feature on a new range of Christmas cards.
A donation to the Night Stop homelessness charity will be made for every copy of the vinyl, CD, download and Christmas card sold.
Merry Christmas is available to pre-order now from the band’s official stores:
https://www.burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/
(for vinyl and CD pre-orders)
https://www.themerchdesk.com
(for vinyl and CD pre-orders, Christmas cards and other merchandise)
Merry Christmas is also available to pre-order from Amazon, HMV and other good online and high-street record stores.
The high-resolution (24/96) download version of Merry Christmas will be available to buy on Big Big Train’s Bandcamp shop on the 8th December:
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/
Big Big Train vocalist David Longdon says: ‘Merry Christmas is a song about rediscovering our childlike belief in the magic of Christmas, despite living in an over commercial and sometimes cynical world. After all, what wouldn’t you give to believe again, like you believed back then?’
Alongside Big Big Train’s full line-up which performed recently at the band’s three sold-out shows at Cadogan Hall in London, Merry Christmas features the beautiful singing of The Chapel Choir Choristers of Jesus College, Cambridge.
Bass player Greg Spawton: ‘We wanted Merry Christmas to be a proper Christmas song. Christmas music needs a choir, a brass band and, of course, sleigh bells’.
The promotional film for Merry Christmas stars Mark Benton and will be premiered on the 1st December.
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These guys are on fire! I hope this is not cheesy though.
MERRY CHRISTMAS by Big Big Train
Three times Progressive Music Award winning band, Big Big Train, will be releasing their first Christmas single on December 8th 2017.
The single is called Merry Christmas and will be released on 8th December on limited edition 7-inch snow white vinyl (with a gatefold cover), digipack CD, high-resolution and standard-resolution download and streaming. The vinyl, CD and high-resolution download versions of the release will feature a ‘b’ side called Snowfalls.
The artwork for Merry Christmas has been painted by Sarah Louise Ewing and will also feature on a new range of Christmas cards.
A donation to the Night Stop homelessness charity will be made for every copy of the vinyl, CD, download and Christmas card sold.
Merry Christmas is available to pre-order now from the band’s official stores:
https://www.burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/
(for vinyl and CD pre-orders)
https://www.themerchdesk.com
(for vinyl and CD pre-orders, Christmas cards and other merchandise)
Merry Christmas is also available to pre-order from Amazon, HMV and other good online and high-street record stores.
The high-resolution (24/96) download version of Merry Christmas will be available to buy on Big Big Train’s Bandcamp shop on the 8th December:
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/
Big Big Train vocalist David Longdon says: ‘Merry Christmas is a song about rediscovering our childlike belief in the magic of Christmas, despite living in an over commercial and sometimes cynical world. After all, what wouldn’t you give to believe again, like you believed back then?’
Alongside Big Big Train’s full line-up which performed recently at the band’s three sold-out shows at Cadogan Hall in London, Merry Christmas features the beautiful singing of The Chapel Choir Choristers of Jesus College, Cambridge.
Bass player Greg Spawton: ‘We wanted Merry Christmas to be a proper Christmas song. Christmas music needs a choir, a brass band and, of course, sleigh bells’.
The promotional film for Merry Christmas stars Mark Benton and will be premiered on the 1st December.
If it's got the same general style and feel of a song like "Wassail", I'll be excited.
I saw this yesterday and meant to post about it, so thank you Fritzinger for doing so - I also updated the thread title to reflect the new release. Agreed, this band has been on fire this and last year, with so much new music! I'm worried that we'll go through a drought of two or three years until their next big release, though, which, from what I gathered last time, will be a concept album (so it'll probably be something big and long). They also have their multi-volume Retrospective of old songs re-recorded by the current line-up, so I look forward to hearing that whenever they get around to it.
Until then, I've pre-ordered the single CD from burningshed and look forward to hearing it in a few weeks!
-Marc.
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I think they should all the time they need, and I'm sure their next album will kick ass.
Also I hope that if they rerecord old music, they rerecord full albums (although I somehow doubt it).
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The new single is out today, available for listen and purchase on Bandcamp. I ordered the CD from Burningshed but went ahead and bought it digitally from Bandcamp cuz I couldn't wait. It's a great single, both songs are what I'd expect, but the end of Snowfalls is particularly noteworthy.
-Marc.
-
So it's been a few days since the single came out and I'm wondering if anyone else here has heard it yet? Roe, Fritz? Bueller?
The A-side is pretty good, very festive and uplifting in its chorus, but the verses point out some of the darkness that the holidays have turned into in recent decades, which is a bit of a sad thing. They do a great job of breathing life into the sort of mythical air of Christmas and the magical splendor it holds in the eyes of children, and so having the boys choir at the end really helps sell that child-like innocence that Christmas can hold.
The B-side is the stand-out, though, with an ending that blows my mind. It's hard to describe, but it builds up and crescendos with such great release that it's one of the most satisfying endings I've heard to a song like it in awhile. Everything about "Snowfalls" is absolutely stellar and must be heard for any BBT fan.
Hope to hear what you other guys have to say about this single. I've been listening to it all weekend and it's gotten me back in the mood for a BBT binge, which is perfect music for the holidays without being directly Christmas music.
-Marc.
-
So it's been a few days since the single came out and I'm wondering if anyone else here has heard it yet? Roe, Fritz? Bueller?
The A-side is pretty good, very festive and uplifting in its chorus, but the verses point out some of the darkness that the holidays have turned into in recent decades, which is a bit of a sad thing. They do a great job of breathing life into the sort of mythical air of Christmas and the magical splendor it holds in the eyes of children, and so having the boys choir at the end really helps sell that child-like innocence that Christmas can hold.
The B-side is the stand-out, though, with an ending that blows my mind. It's hard to describe, but it builds up and crescendos with such great release that it's one of the most satisfying endings I've heard to a song like it in awhile. Everything about "Snowfalls" is absolutely stellar and must be heard for any BBT fan.
Hope to hear what you other guys have to say about this single. I've been listening to it all weekend and it's gotten me back in the mood for a BBT binge, which is perfect music for the holidays without being directly Christmas music.
-Marc.
I can only find 'Merry Christmas' on iTunes UK, 'Snowfall' doesn't appear. I haven't download Merry Christmas yet as I'm hoping a version with Snowfall will appear soon.
-
Both songs are absolutely beautiful, as expected (at least by me). Snowfalls is a typical BBT song which every fan will love. The ending is stunning.
I am falling in love with this band more and more !!!
-
After ten days, I still find myself listening to the two new songs nearly every day, sometimes a few times each day. At work, I began a mini-EP version of the album on my playlist, which adds a few more holiday/Christmas-time or sounding songs after the single proper.
Merry Christmas
Snowfalls
Meadowland
British Racing Green
Wassail
The Second Brightest Star
A Mead Hall In Winter
I initially didn't include Meadowland or TSBS, but several fellow Passengers (what we call BBT fans in the BBT group on facebook) suggested those two tunes, and I was OK with adding at least Meadowland given its lyrical/musical connection to AMHIW. With TSBS, the mellow feel of the song definitely feels wintery to my ears, so it was a fine addition.
Snowfalls is a typical BBT song which every fan will love. The ending is stunning.
I know, right?! The ending of Snowfalls is astonishing, one of my favorite musical moments in any new song I've heard this year!
-Marc.
-
Some sad news to start 2018, I'm afraid. Andy Poole is leaving after 28 years aboard the Train.
https://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-01/andy-poole-to-leave-big-big-train (https://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-01/andy-poole-to-leave-big-big-train)
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Some sad news to start 2018, I'm afraid. Andy Poole is leaving after 28 years aboard the Train.
https://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-01/andy-poole-to-leave-big-big-train (https://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-01/andy-poole-to-leave-big-big-train)
That's a real bummer. Not the kind of New Years news I like to see, but I hope he left in truly amicable terms and all. Seems like it, at least on the surface, but it sucks that one of the founding members of the band has decided to leave. His contributions will be missed, though he hasn't written/co-written any music since "Hedgerow" on English Electric Part 1. I wonder who they'll get to replace him for the live performances? Perhaps a former BBT member? Another Swedish musician? Another former Spock's Beard member? :lol
-Marc.
-
Some sad news to start 2018, I'm afraid. Andy Poole is leaving after 28 years aboard the Train.
https://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-01/andy-poole-to-leave-big-big-train (https://teamrock.com/news/2018-01-01/andy-poole-to-leave-big-big-train)
That's a real bummer. Not the kind of New Years news I like to see, but I hope he left in truly amicable terms and all. Seems like it, at least on the surface, but it sucks that one of the founding members of the band has decided to leave. His contributions will be missed, though he hasn't written/co-written any music since "Hedgerow" on English Electric Part 1. I wonder who they'll get to replace him for the live performances? Perhaps a former BBT member? Another Swedish musician? Another former Spock's Beard member? :lol
-Marc.
Please not Ryo :D
Although it sucks that Andy is leaving, I love the way he revealed this online. Man, this band is so incredibly classy.
-
Finally listened to Grimspound, which is a first full BBT album for me—I've heard a song or two from English Electric and Folklore, but didn't check the full albums—and I think it's safe to say I liked it. The second half is probably my favourite, with The Ivy Gate, A Mead Hall in Winter and As the Crow Flies all being great songs. The album also starts very strong with Brave Captain, but I think it loses a bit of steam after that.
It was only two listens, so I don't remember anything from the title track, and I remember actively disliking vocal melodies in Experimental Gentlemen (this was the only song I didn't like). Still, overall impression was really positive.
I suppose I'll go backwards and check Folklore next.
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Cool, another future BBT passenger :) Don't worry, once you've really gotten into the band, there's no going back.
Folklore is a little more "round" in its entirety I'd say, Grimspound seems a wee bit more rough to me (BBT is never rough but compared to the other albums I mean). What I love about Folklore (and other BBT albums) are the brass arrangements. Grimspound does not have those.
I'd say their most adventurous albums are The Difference Machine and The Underfall Yard, with the last one being a real masterpiece.
Oh, be sure to get the "full" Folklore version with the Wassail EP songs included (basically the vinyl tracklist)! Welcome aboard :rollin
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Welcome aboard, Evermind. If you're at Grimspound, definitely head backwards, and hopefully you'll like more of what you find. I'll echo Fritzinger's comments that you should listen to the "complete" Folklore tracklist, the vinyl version, which you can find on their Bandcamp page available for streaming and purchase. It's really the best way to listen to it, though with the updated/expanded version of "London Place" from The Second Brightest Star, it's a bit less complete. Either way, it's a great album overall, one of my faves.
After that, check out English Electric Full Power, which combines both parts of the separately released English Electric albums with songs from the Make Some Noise EP, mixing up the tracks a bit and creating a very well put together double album that feels cohesive, as if it was meant to be that way from the get go. Before Folklore, it was easily my go-to BBT album, and not just because I'm a sucker for double albums.
After all of THAT, hit up The Underfall Yard and Far Skies Deep Time, which is getting a re-release this year with ALL SIX tracks finally available on one disc - it was released with two different opening tracks; "Kingmaker", a re-recording of an old demo track, and "Master Of Time", a recording of an Anthony Phillips (of Genesis fame) demo track. Both albums are where modern BBT started their beautiful rise to musical perfection. The inclusion of David Longdon as a vocalist and writer really changed how the band put music together, and having Nick D'Virgilio on board full-time made some difference too.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Check those albums out and enjoy! Let us few BBT fans know what you think! :tup
-Marc.
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No one in this forum will ever listen to BBT and then tell us about it :lol
Forum member: So I've listened to this one BBT alb-
BBT fans: YOU SHOULD TOTALLY LISTEN TO THIS ONE AS WELL AND THE ONE BEFORE IS GREAT TOO YOU'LL LOVE IT GIVE IT A SPIN NOW
Forum member: Right
:rollin
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Welcome aboard, Evermind. If you're at Grimspound, definitely head backwards, and hopefully you'll like more of what you find. I'll echo Fritzinger's comments that you should listen to the "complete" Folklore tracklist, the vinyl version, which you can find on their Bandcamp page available for streaming and purchase. It's really the best way to listen to it, though with the updated/expanded version of "London Place" from The Second Brightest Star, it's a bit less complete. Either way, it's a great album overall, one of my faves.
After that, check out English Electric Full Power, which combines both parts of the separately released English Electric albums with songs from the Make Some Noise EP, mixing up the tracks a bit and creating a very well put together double album that feels cohesive, as if it was meant to be that way from the get go. Before Folklore, it was easily my go-to BBT album, and not just because I'm a sucker for double albums.
After all of THAT, hit up The Underfall Yard and Far Skies Deep Time, which is getting a re-release this year with ALL SIX tracks finally available on one disc - it was released with two different opening tracks; "Kingmaker", a re-recording of an old demo track, and "Master Of Time", a recording of an Anthony Phillips (of Genesis fame) demo track. Both albums are where modern BBT started their beautiful rise to musical perfection. The inclusion of David Longdon as a vocalist and writer really changed how the band put music together, and having Nick D'Virgilio on board full-time made some difference too.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Check those albums out and enjoy! Let us few BBT fans know what you think! :tup
-Marc.
+1
but but but... we are not few at all :tup
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Far Skies Deep Time, which is getting a re-release this year with ALL SIX tracks finally available on one disc - it was released with two different opening tracks; "Kingmaker", a re-recording of an old demo track, and "Master Of Time", a recording of an Anthony Phillips (of Genesis fame) demo track.
Ooh! Really? Sometimes it pays to wait to buy an album.
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+1
but but but... we are not few at all :tup
Well, at least here it seems like there's only a handful of Passengers posting on this board, so it warms my heart to see more people getting into BBT's beautiful music!
Far Skies Deep Time, which is getting a re-release this year with ALL SIX tracks finally available on one disc - it was released with two different opening tracks; "Kingmaker", a re-recording of an old demo track, and "Master Of Time", a recording of an Anthony Phillips (of Genesis fame) demo track.
Ooh! Really? Sometimes it pays to wait to buy an album.
Oh yes, it was released last year through a special distributor but this year, the band get the rights to release it themselves through the usual outlets, so check the band's FB page for news and updates on that. Here's the discogs page if you want more info:
https://www.discogs.com/Big-Big-Train-Far-Skies-Deep-Time/release/11194962
It places "Master Of Time" at the end, but personally speaking, I've always placed it at Track Two, mostly because "The Wide Open Sea" is a great way to close the EP (well, album at this length), but I liked the flow of MOT into "Fat Billy Shouts Mine". I also wanted to keep "Kingmaker" as the opener because it works SO WELL in that position, so I highly suggest that alternative track list whenever you rip the disc.
Personally speaking, I already own the 2010 release from English Electric Recordings (which had "Master Of Time"), and was fortunate enough to have purchase the PROG magazine issue that had "Kingmaker" on it, so I had all I needed for a complete version of FSDT already, but I think this new release features some new mixing and/or mastering, so I may upgrade. Double-dipping has never stopped me before with BBT!
-Marc.
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I probably will put it in the order you said, M. I actually did just assume that was the order it would be in, tbh. Putting the 'epic' second-to-last is not really my favourite way of structuring an album, tbh. It seems to be the way with a lot of albums lately, including several of BBT's (EEFP, Folklore, Grimspound).
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Man I wish they would release Far Skies Deep Time on vinyl :'( This is just an EP but everything on there is good enough to make Far Skies a "real" album... But I guess they will never release it on vinyl :(
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No one in this forum will ever listen to BBT and then tell us about it :lol
Forum member: So I've listened to this one BBT alb-
BBT fans: YOU SHOULD TOTALLY LISTEN TO THIS ONE AS WELL AND THE ONE BEFORE IS GREAT TOO YOU'LL LOVE IT GIVE IT A SPIN NOW
Forum member: Right
:rollin
Right. :lol
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It's a year today since Grimspound came out. I'm listening to it now in honour of the occasion. I think it took a little bit longer for it to sink in for me than Folklore did, but it certainly has now and it's a fantastic listen!
Favourite tracks a year on?
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From day one, and still today, A Mead Hall In Winter! That chorus is just magnificent.
I think Grimspound is also very cool, with its latin (?) outro (similar to Transit Of Venus) and the very dark Ivy Gate.
The only thing that's missing on this album are the beautiful brass arrangement (especially present on Folklore and Underfall). But considering Grimspound started out as some leftovers from Folklore, this is one hell of an album.
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From May 15th...
Big Big Train will be releasing a live album called “Merchants of Light” on 27th July.
“Merchants of Light” will be released as a triple vinyl box set and as a two CD digipack. Download and streaming versions will also be available.
The album includes the best performance of each song played at the band’s sold out Cadogan Hall, London shows which took place in the autumn last year.
Big Big Train will also be releasing a single ahead of the “Merchants of Light” album. The single, which will be released on 13th July, features a live recording of “Swan Hunter” and a 2018 remix of the studio version of the song which originally featured on the English Electric album.
The single also includes two previously unreleased tracks: a new version of “Seen Better Days” which features Tim Bowness on vocals alongside Big Big Train’s singer, David Longdon, and a live studio recording of “Summer’s Lease”.
Pre-orders for “Merchants of Light” and “Swan Hunter” are now available at the band’s official stores, Burning Shed and The Merch Desk:
https://www.burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/
https://themerchdesk.com/merchdesk/index.php?route=product/category&path=87_115&page=2
Vinyl Box Set
(https://bigbigtrain.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/merchants_vinyl_box.jpg)
Cover
(https://bigbigtrain.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/merchants_lpcd_cover-300x300.jpg)
Folklore Overture
Folklore
Brave Captain
Last Train
London Plane
Meadowland
A Mead Hall in Winter
Experimental Gentlemen part two
Swan Hunter
Judas Unrepentant
The Transit of Venus Across the Sun
East Coast Racer
Telling the Bees
Victorian Brickwork
Drums and Brass
Wassail
Swan Hunter Single
(https://bigbigtrain.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/swan_hunter-300x300.jpg)
Swan Hunter (radio edit)
Swan Hunter (2018 remix)
Swan Hunter (live at Cadogan Hall, London, October 2017)
Seen Better Days (the brass band’s final piece)
Summer’s Lease (live at Real World Studios, April 2017)
-Marc.
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Crap, I actually saw this, and already pre-ordered the vinyl set (I'm running out of f**kin money...) but totally forgot to post it here! I'm such a bad forum buddy :blush
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Crap, I actually saw this, and already pre-ordered the vinyl set (I'm running out of f**kin money...) but totally forgot to post it here! I'm such a bad forum buddy :blush
Eh, me too, I saw the posts on FB 9 days ago and just never got around to updating this thread (though I have been extremely busy with/at work over the last couple of weeks).
That vinyl set probably will be really beautiful, but I don't have the money or space for it, and it doesn't seem like the CDs are coming with it from the description. Either way, I've got the MOL CD set, the Swan Hunter single, and the 2018 reissue of Far Skies Deep Time sitting in my Burning Shed cart...debating if I want to spend more money right now...
-Marc.
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Crap, I actually saw this, and already pre-ordered the vinyl set (I'm running out of f**kin money...) but totally forgot to post it here! I'm such a bad forum buddy :blush
Eh, me too, I saw the posts on FB 9 days ago and just never got around to updating this thread (though I have been extremely busy with/at work over the last couple of weeks).
That vinyl set probably will be really beautiful, but I don't have the money or space for it, and it doesn't seem like the CDs are coming with it from the description. Either way, I've got the MOL CD set, the Swan Hunter single, and the 2018 reissue of Far Skies Deep Time sitting in my Burning Shed cart...debating if I want to spend more money right now...
-Marc.
Totally get it. But when it comes to BBT, I just want it all. Love this band. And they specifically wrote under the boxset, that this will be the only pressing on vinyl ever.
There's also so many other great vinyl releases I can't miss, but can't really afford either :D Like Gilmour's Pompeii album, Pink Floyd Pulse, Led Zeppelin How The West Was Won, the Yes Steven Wilson remixes... plus Noise Floor, The Sea Within. Guess I'll have to live from frozen pizza and water for a few weeks now.
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Crap, I actually saw this, and already pre-ordered the vinyl set (I'm running out of f**kin money...) but totally forgot to post it here! I'm such a bad forum buddy :blush
Eh, me too, I saw the posts on FB 9 days ago and just never got around to updating this thread (though I have been extremely busy with/at work over the last couple of weeks).
That vinyl set probably will be really beautiful, but I don't have the money or space for it, and it doesn't seem like the CDs are coming with it from the description. Either way, I've got the MOL CD set, the Swan Hunter single, and the 2018 reissue of Far Skies Deep Time sitting in my Burning Shed cart...debating if I want to spend more money right now...
-Marc.
Totally get it. But when it comes to BBT, I just want it all. Love this band. And they specifically wrote under the boxset, that this will be the only pressing on vinyl ever.
There's also so many other great vinyl releases I can't miss, but can't really afford either :D Like Gilmour's Pompeii album, Pink Floyd Pulse, Led Zeppelin How The West Was Won, the Yes Steven Wilson remixes... plus Noise Floor, The Sea Within. Guess I'll have to live from frozen pizza and water for a few weeks now.
Understandable - I'm just glad I don't care about collecting vinyl albums. It's pretty pricey, especially with shipping from overseas to the US. I only have less than 20 vinyl albums (most of them have Neal Morse on them, being SB and TA), but other than that, 98% of my music collection is CDs. I just wouldn't have the space for vinyl - heck, I barely have enough room with my 6-foot 4-sided CD media tower as it is!
Besides, I have several other hobbies/obsessions my bank account needs to fuel other than music, so I'm trying to spend wisely... key word "trying". :lol :huh: :'(
-Marc.
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I've been listening to BBT for the first time in MONTHS (probably since around January back when I was really active in this thread, perhaps that was the last time I really listened to them). I think I'm gearing up for the soon-to-be-released Singles and Live Album coming out in July.
Also, there was a new video released of "Swan Hunter" live at Cadogan Hall from last October in 2017. No word yet, as far as I know, if a live video will be released of the Cadogan shows (from which Merchants Of Light will source its audio tracks from), but at least we get this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKhuTR1e5Xw
-Marc.
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So I'm listening to The Second Brightest Star for the first time, and wow, it's fantastic. The instrumentation is just really lush and pleasant to listen, and I've always loved David Longdon's voice and melodies. I don't know yet if I like it more than English Electric, but we'll see.
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So I'm listening to The Second Brightest Star for the first time, and wow, it's fantastic. The instrumentation is just really lush and pleasant to listen, and I've always loved David Longdon's voice and melodies. I don't know yet if I like it more than English Electric, but we'll see.
TSBS does have some great songs on it, but since I've listened to all of the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS songs in one huge playlist, I often forget which pieces were from which albums, since they're all sort of one giant meta-album anyway. It still blows my mind that those three albums, over 3 hours of music, were all released within 13-14 months of each other. It almost felt like overkill, but since the albums were chock full of quality stuff, I did not mind at all. It's a rare blessing that a band this good can put out that much consistently good material in such a short time!
-Marc.
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Wow, it's been over 3 weeks since the (my) last post in here... Anyway, tomorrow is the release date for BBT's newest live album, Merchants Of Light, which promises to be as exciting as their last one! Lots of great epic music, including some of my favorites like "Brave Captain", "A Mead Hall In Winter", "East Coast Racer", and "Victorian Brickwork".
I can't wait to spin it this weekend, hopefully my order from Burning Shed comes in today or tomorrow! Did anyone else pre-order this, either as the 2CD set or the gorgeous 3LP set (which I wish I could have afforded, but it's pretty pricey for my budget this summer)?
-Marc.
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Wow, it's been over 3 weeks since the (my) last post in here... Anyway, tomorrow is the release date for BBT's newest live album, Merchants Of Light, which promises to be as exciting as their last one! Lots of great epic music, including some of my favorites like "Brave Captain", "A Mead Hall In Winter", "East Coast Racer", and "Victorian Brickwork".
I can't wait to spin it this weekend, hopefully my order from Burning Shed comes in today or tomorrow! Did anyone else pre-order this, either as the 2CD set or the gorgeous 3LP set (which I wish I could have afforded, but it's pretty pricey for my budget this summer)?
-Marc.
Marccccc, of course I ordered it ;) I can't not buy the stuff this band releases...
By the way, I saw BBT at the Loreley and I have to say it's been one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Sound, performance, show, everything was perfect. I would have changed Kingmaker for (for example) Brooklands, but that's just my personal taste.
And my Merchants Of Light package JUST arrived with the mail!
Here are some pictures, please don't pay attention to me, I always look shite when standing next to musicians of this caliber.
https://ibb.co/gSVabK
https://ibb.co/ftMRiz
https://ibb.co/gYMRiz
https://ibb.co/j3CAAe
https://ibb.co/b6ukbK
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Rikard is one hell of a great guy! I talked to him on Saturday evening for quite a while.
Did you meet Nick from this forum?
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The band have posted pics of recording sessions fortheir next album, which they say will be released next May. One song will be titled "Brew & Burgh" according to sheet music for Tuba.
-Marc.
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The band have posted pics of recording sessions fortheir next album, which they say will be released next May. One song will be titled "Brew & Burgh" according to sheet music for Tuba.
-Marc.
I can't believe this is getting no response! I am super hyped for this, even more than for the new Neal Morse album. A fried of mine commented on their instagram post, asking if this album will be similarly folky like the last ones or if it will take another direction. The band replied it would feature LESS of a folk influence.
I absolutely loved (!) the last albums, but I would also like to hear something among the lines of The Underfall Yard again!
Talking about Underfall Yard, my friend and I asked the band if they'll ever release that album on vinyl. They replied, they'd probably do that for its 10th anniversary. So I guess that will be coming next year too ;) I just hope, they would release the Far Skies EP on vinyl too.
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Recently, Big Big Train had a viewing of the upcoming blu-ray release for Merchants Of Light, due sometime early next year. I can't wait for this release, especially since MOL was a STUNNING live album, finally getting the live video will be a treat!
Also, as pointed out in the 2019 Release Date thread, the band have confirmed that their next studio album is due out sometime next May. No word, as far as I know, on the length or themes/concepts used on the album outside of a couple song titles spotted on sheet music during the recording process. Any year there is a BBT album, it's always contender for album of the year for me, but there's a LOT of BIG albums coming out next year (Neal Morse, Dream Theater, and who knows what else at this point), so it'll be an exciting year for new prog over-all!
-Marc.
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I heard about a live DVD too, and I'm so happy we're finally getting a full BBT live concert!
But I'm even more excited for the new BBT studio album! I'm sure it'll be great. They mentioned somewhere that on this album they're going into a slightly different direction. Wonder which one. My personal favourite would be something slightly more dark like Underfall or Difference Machine. But in the end I don't really care because BBT never disappoint.
Plus, 2019 sees the release of The Underfall Yard on vinyl!!!
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Spawton and Longdon were interviewed on a BBC Radio science show recently, where they discussed a track from their upcoming album titled Voyager, named after the space probes, the second of which this week left our Solar System.
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So George Roldan, founder of RoSfest commented recently that there will be multiple headliner announcements made at RoSfest 2019 for 2020. Given that the rumor has been that Big Big Train will finally make the leap to America in 2020 I'm cautiously optimistic that they will be at RoSfest in 2020.
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I heard about a live DVD too, and I'm so happy we're finally getting a full BBT live concert!
But I'm even more excited for the new BBT studio album! I'm sure it'll be great. They mentioned somewhere that on this album they're going into a slightly different direction. Wonder which one. My personal favourite would be something slightly more dark like Underfall or Difference Machine. But in the end I don't really care because BBT never disappoint.
Plus, 2019 sees the release of The Underfall Yard on vinyl!!!
Well, I guess BBT keep their promises!
This was posted a few days back on Facebook:
As 2018 draws to a close, we wanted to take an opportunity to thank all listeners for their support for Big Big Train over the last year. We cannot make music and play gigs without the support of our audience and we would like to thank you all for lending us your ears and for getting behind us in so many ways.
The next couple of years will be busy ones for the band. We will be releasing a new studio album in the spring of 2019 (there will be news on a date for an album launch party soon) and we will be touring the UK in the autumn. In 2020, we will be playing in the States, Canada and in mainland Europe. Along the way, there will also be a Blu-Ray from the 2017 Cadogan Hall shows, and an official book which will tell the story of the band.
And there will be a remixed vinyl, CD and download re-issue of The Underfall Yard (celebrating the 10th anniversary of that album.)
In the meantime, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Danny, Dave, David, Greg, Nick, Rachel, Rikard
Big Big Train
Has anyone listened to the excerpts of the new song on that radio show? How does it sound?
OH I almost forgot the most important news of all: David has a beard now and it looks awesome!
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With regards to their upcoming studio album, Greg posted this update recently:
Just a quick update for forum members on the new Big Big Train album (before the official announcements start to happen in late March / early April.) The album is finished and we are currently going through the slightly tedious process of preparing the audio for the multiple different release requirements. For anyone who is interested, that means audio in 24/96, grouped into four sides of vinyl for the LP release, audio in 24/96 for Bandcamp, and audio in 16/44 for the streaming versions. The CD version also requires audio in 16/44 and this has to be submitted to the factory using a particular type of software to create a DDP file (screenshot of the album in this software below this post). Alongside the music, the artwork and design has progressed to completion and that is now with various factories being made into album and CD covers and booklets.
We do hope you enjoy our new music and we look forward to performing some of the album (alongside other songs) on our autumn 2019 UK tour and further afield in 2020.
And in that same posted, he responded to a question about song lengths and said "Yes, it's a long album and there are three songs longer than 13 minutes and one other song longer than eight minutes." So if you love BBT's epics, looks like we are getting some more!
-Marc.
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Exciting news! Can't wait for it. Out of the blue yesterday, I felt like popping A Mead Hall in Winter on. Fabulous track! It's fascinating how certain phrases pop up from time to time throughout the "Albion" cycle of albums. "Reaching for the far skies", "the dream of the West", and the like.
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BBT have posted an update on their Facebook that shows a countdown on their website (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/) to March 25th at 7:00am EST, presumably a reveal for their new album, which was said to be released in May. March 25th would be about 2 months ahead of release, so that sounds about right, but I wonder if they have any other news besides the new album, like the Cadogan Hall BD that was recorded but yet to be released.
Either way, I am excited to see this countdown and cannot wait for the details on the new album!
-Marc.
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In less than EIGHT HOURS, whatever news BBT has for us will be revealed!!! Can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning and see what they have in store for us. Hopefully it's details on their next album, as well as a release date for the Cadogan Hall blu-ray!
-Marc.
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Ah. I was gonna pop here and bump this as the countdown is down to less than 30 minutes now, but I see it was done already. Almost time...
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Psyched af!!! :metal
I mean (*Bri-ish accent*) I think this is going to be delightful (*sips tea*).
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Here y'all go!!!
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/?fbclid=IwAR3DaEDCqbggcS9t5QBclQDkdBOjWdeCN7BtYv2FnjFGqyke56k2zHhuHYA
(https://www.bigbigtrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/grand-tour-900.png)
Grand Tour
Inspired by the 17th and 18th century custom of the Grand Tour, where young men and women travelled to broaden the mind, Big Big Train have made an album of songs set in distant lands and beyond.
Grand Tour will be released on May 17th 2019 and is available to pre-order now on double heavyweight gatefold vinyl (featuring a 24 page booklet), digipack CD (featuring a 52 page booklet) and on standard and hi-resolution (24/96) download. Grand Tour will be available on all good streaming services on release day.
Novum Organum (2:33)
Alive (4:31)
The Florentine (8:14)
Roman Stone (13:33)
Pantheon (6:08)
Theodora in Green and Gold (5:38)
Ariel (14:28)
Voyager (14:03)
Homesong (5:12)
Grand Tour features nine new tracks which will take listeners on an epic journey over land and sea and through time and space.
Inspired by the 17th and 18th century custom of the Grand Tour, where young men and women travelled to broaden the mind, Big Big Train’s 2019 album features nine songs set in distant lands and beyond.
‘There are songs inspired by the legacy of the Italian Renaissance genius, Leonardo da Vinci; songs telling the story of the rise and fall of Rome; of the beautiful mosaics of Ravenna, and of the shipwreck of a great poet, lost in a tempest off the coast of Italy. Along the way, the story of mankind’s greatest ever journey is told.’ - Nick D’Virgilio
‘Grand Tour is a celebration of the human experience, of science and art, and of what it means to be alive.’ - David Longdon
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It looks awesome! Big Big Train finally travelling out beyond England. I guess in a way this is the idea behind Experimental Gentlemen (ie. travelling out and discovering new lands) expanded to cover a whole album.
Novum Organum (2:33)
Alive (4:31)
The Florentine (8:14)
Roman Stone (13:33)
Pantheon (6:08)
Theodora in Green and Gold (5:38)
Ariel (14:28)
Voyager (14:03)
Homesong (5:12)
Couple of nice chunky epics in there.
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AHHHHH this looks like it'll be amazing, especially those 3 epics! I love the concept being it, too, as "A Mead Hall In Winter" is one of my favorite songs by them, I hope we get more of that! Hope we get a sample or two in the coming weeks!
Looks like the album is 74:20 long, which is just enough new BBT music for me! I was not expecting anything longer than an hour or so, but I guess they have had plenty of time to write plenty of material.
-Marc.
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I'm reading a bit about the members on their website - I didn't know David Longdon was invited to audition for Genesis in 1996. Apparently it stood between him and Ray Wilson, who ended up getting the gig.
Dave Gregory I already know about, since I'm a huge XTC fan.
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A 52-page booklet probably means we're going to get substantial liner notes about the songs, like with Grimspound.
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I'm reading a bit about the members on their website - I didn't know David Longdon was invited to audition for Genesis in 1996. Apparently it stood between him and Ray Wilson, who ended up getting the gig.
Dave Gregory I already know about, since I'm a huge XTC fan.
Funny thing about Longdon almost getting the Genesis gig is that Nick D'Virgilio actually drummed on some of the songs on Calling All Stations! Serendipitous that both Nick and David would later join Big Big Train at the same time, for The Underfall Yard. Can you imagine the alternate history where both Nick and David were full-time members of Genesis in the late 90s? I wonder if Big Big Train would still exist as it has for the last decade if they had been a part of Genesis over 20 years ago...
-Marc.
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New song, Alive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh6tPwd4GNA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh6tPwd4GNA)
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Love it. I hear a little 'Watcher of the Skies' on that intro. And if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, Nick is a beast. This will be a fun song to have on the car stereo. And with all the negativity in the world, I appreciate the uplifting spirit of this number. Can't wait for the rest of the album.
As for the video - well, it's fine but maybe a bit cheesy at times. I love the cameo by Winkie. ;)
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Album art kind of reminds me of some earlier Steve Hackett albums.
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Super-catchy song. I like it. Folkore/Grimspound/Second Star meandered a bit too much for my liking and lacked the catchy hooks that made me love the English Electrics so much.
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Something to sink your teeth into here. A 90-minute interview with Spawton, Longdon and artist Sarah Ewing filmed at the Royal Astronomical Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeqxFlqffc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeqxFlqffc)
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Something to sink your teeth into here. A 90-minute interview with Spawton, Longdon and artist Sarah Ewing filmed at the Royal Astronomical Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeqxFlqffc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeqxFlqffc)
I'm dying to watch this, but I'll have to ask my usual question: Is there any music from the new album in this video? If yes, when? I'd like to avoid all spoilers :)
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I just listened to Alive, I really like it! Looking forward to the album.
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Something to sink your teeth into here. A 90-minute interview with Spawton, Longdon and artist Sarah Ewing filmed at the Royal Astronomical Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeqxFlqffc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeqxFlqffc)
I'm dying to watch this, but I'll have to ask my usual question: Is there any music from the new album in this video? If yes, when? I'd like to avoid all spoilers :)
No music in the interview itself, but there is a track-by-track discussion. There is some music at the end, but whether it's BBT's or not I can't tell. It's likely just a general backing track accompanying footage of them looking round the RAS.
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No opinions on Theodora In Green & Gold yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZRsmxpS7iI
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Really looking forward to this, going to avoid listening to the songs till I have the album as a whole.
Any Big Big Train fans should check out 'Lifesigns' very similar sounding melodic British prog band. Two albums so far, probably the second one 'Cardington' is slightly better.
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Really looking forward to this, going to avoid listening to the songs till I have the album as a whole.
Any Big Big Train fans should check out 'Lifesigns' very similar sounding melodic British prog band. Two albums so far, probably the second one 'Cardington' is slightly better.
I have heard about this band before but I don't think I have heard anything yet. I read up about them and it sounds very interesting! Might start searching for their 2 albums on vinyl.
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Any word on whether this is going to be stand alone album, or if there is more recorded music to come from the sessions like English Electric 1 & 2/Make Some Noise EP & Folklore/Grimspound/Brightest Star.
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Any word on whether this is going to be stand alone album, or if there is more recorded music to come from the sessions like English Electric 1 & 2/Make Some Noise EP & Folklore/Grimspound/Brightest Star.
Completely new and unrelated to their previous works.
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Any word on whether this is going to be stand alone album, or if there is more recorded music to come from the sessions like English Electric 1 & 2/Make Some Noise EP & Folklore/Grimspound/Brightest Star.
Completely new and unrelated to their previous works.
Sorry what I meant is, is this the first collection of songs and there will be more album(s)/EPs from the same session on the same theme released later - or is this a stand alone one.
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I have heard nothing about any follow-ups connected to this. But Folklore was intended to be a standalone album too, and they expanded it afterward :) So maybe they don't know it yet either.
I heard it for the first time yesterday, and it's really great. Uplifting. Lots of great details in the arrangements. Beautiful melodies. And NDV is a monster.
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Who knows what will happen in the future? As far as I'm aware, we didn't know about Grimspound when Folklore was released.
Idk if this will be "controversial" or not, but whatever...I don't count The Second Brightest Star as a fully-fledged studio album. I'd either say it was a "B-side" compilation (even though I know they're not actual B-sides) or even maybe a "double EP". Considering a little over half the album is extended/combined versions of tracks from Folkspound. I see TSBS as akin to Far Skies Deep Time. The evening before big album releases, I'll listen to the band's preceding full studio album, so next Thursday I will count that as being Grimspound.
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I don't know if it's been posted or not before but in this excellent interview there is talk about a possible follow up.
https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-greg-spawton/
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Bumping as it's the evening before Grand Tour's release here in the UK, and the hype is well and truly building in this poster's mind.
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My copy of the CD came in from Burningshed today! After a couple spins, it's pretty breathtaking! There are familiar bits here and there, but also quite a bit of new ground to my ears! Can't wait to digest it more over the coming weeks!
-Marc.
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My copy of the CD came in from Burningshed today! After a couple spins, it's pretty breathtaking! There are familiar bits here and there, but also quite a bit of new ground to my ears! Can't wait to digest it more over the coming weeks!
-Marc.
Have fun dude!! My favourites are Ariel and Voyager, for obvious reasons. Can't wait to discuss about the album with you! :)
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After a couple of spins, I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed by it compared to Grimspound and Folklore. I feel those two had a lot of memorable melodies. Will need some time to digest this one. So far Ariel and Voyager have been my favorite tracks. Man, Nick sings a bunch in this album. Nice contrast with David's voice. As always, the production is top notch. Wonder what snares did NDV use since I hear a bunch of different ones throughout the album.
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Listening for the first time this afternoon. I love it. LOVE IT! :heart
Hope there will be a Grand Tour in the US in 2020. I sense more than a few shows in my future if so. :tup
edit to add, NDV is a beast!!
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After a couple of spins, I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed by it compared to Grimspound and Folklore. I feel those two had a lot of memorable melodies.
I'm the exact opposite. This album feels a lot fresher and more diverse than Folklore/Grimspound. I listened to those ones more out of obligation than true interest, but this one has me actively wanting to return to it after 3 listens so far.
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I know it's pretty typical and cliche to say that a band's latest work is their best, but this is pretty high up there for me. There's a lot of great songs and moments across this whole album, which is chock full of some new and exciting sounds from everyone involved. I hear a lot of influences and familiar melodies, as well as a lot of familiar words and phrases that the band have become associated with, but I think that was just the focus of this album - narrowing in on the concept and driving it home (so to speak). It's still only been a few days, so there's a lot more to digest, musically and lyrically, but after a few spins, I have to say I am pretty taken by this new album, as much as I was with EEFP and the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS trilogy. It's nice to have this concise, single-disc concept that flows so well, and has some sprawling epics that really soar!
I'm not sure if I have a stand-out favorite yet, but the run of "Ariel", "Voyager" and "Homesong" is breathtaking, to say the least. I may have to say up my money for next year when they tour the US and make it to the nearest show, as I'm sure it'll be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of show!
-Marc.
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I know it's pretty typical and cliche to say that a band's latest work is their best, but this is pretty high up there for me. There's a lot of great songs and moments across this whole album, which is chock full of some new and exciting sounds from everyone involved. I hear a lot of influences and familiar melodies, as well as a lot of familiar words and phrases that the band have become associated with, but I think that was just the focus of this album - narrowing in on the concept and driving it home (so to speak). It's still only been a few days, so there's a lot more to digest, musically and lyrically, but after a few spins, I have to say I am pretty taken by this new album, as much as I was with EEFP and the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS trilogy. It's nice to have this concise, single-disc concept that flows so well, and has some sprawling epics that really soar!
I'm not sure if I have a stand-out favorite yet, but the run of "Ariel", "Voyager" and "Homesong" is breathtaking, to say the least. I may have to say up my money for next year when they tour the US and make it to the nearest show, as I'm sure it'll be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of show!
-Marc.
Is that a confirmed thing or just a loose rumour? I can't imagine they'd be able to swing a tour but I could see them doing Cruise To The Edge and maybe a show or two in the dates prior/after.
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I know it's pretty typical and cliche to say that a band's latest work is their best, but this is pretty high up there for me. There's a lot of great songs and moments across this whole album, which is chock full of some new and exciting sounds from everyone involved. I hear a lot of influences and familiar melodies, as well as a lot of familiar words and phrases that the band have become associated with, but I think that was just the focus of this album - narrowing in on the concept and driving it home (so to speak). It's still only been a few days, so there's a lot more to digest, musically and lyrically, but after a few spins, I have to say I am pretty taken by this new album, as much as I was with EEFP and the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS trilogy. It's nice to have this concise, single-disc concept that flows so well, and has some sprawling epics that really soar!
I'm not sure if I have a stand-out favorite yet, but the run of "Ariel", "Voyager" and "Homesong" is breathtaking, to say the least. I may have to say up my money for next year when they tour the US and make it to the nearest show, as I'm sure it'll be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of show!
-Marc.
Is that a confirmed thing or just a loose rumour? I can't imagine they'd be able to swing a tour but I could see them doing Cruise To The Edge and maybe a show or two in the dates prior/after.
FUTURE TOURS
We are planning tours outside of the UK and are expecting to be playing in the US and Canada in the Spring of 2020, and in mainland Europe in the autumn of 2020. More news on these tours in 2019. (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/news/)
Next Spring, though I only expect maybe 4 or 5 shows total, so probably California, North West, NY, Mid-East (DC or Baltimore would be nice, close enough to me), and Southern US. Any more than that might be a miracle!
-Marc.
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A stunningly good album, I'm loving the concept. So far The Florentine is probably my favourite song. Odd to see so much love for Ariel, as that's the one track I'm struggling to connect with.
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How can one not love Ariel? It's epic! Singin O, blow the winds, O!!!
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Just learned last night that the Japanese release of Grand Tour features an exclusive track at the end of the album, titled "Journey's End", which I assume to be short enough so that all 10 tracks still fit on one CD. Apparently, the Japanese publisher has the rights to it for a year, then the band can release it (presumably on a place like Bandcamp, or maybe as a single with other tracks/alternate versions of songs, or live songs from this year's UK tour).
If you can't wait to hear it, you'll have to import it, but I guarantee the band will likely release it themselves at some point next year if you're willing to wait!
-Marc.
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Definitely a grower. Different thoughts about this album after more spins. Voyager should have been the closing track!
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Voyager should have been the closing track!
True. Gone are the days when an epic would be the closer, the climactic point to which an album climbs towards. It seems to be more of a cliche now to have an epic placed second-to-last, with a "comedown" song to close the album. BBT have done this on all their recent albums:
English Electric Full Power (to me and the band the definitive version of EE): East Coast Racer followed by Curator of Butterflies
Folklore: Brooklands followed by Telling the Bees
Grimspound: A Mead Hall in Winter followed by As the Crow Flies
And obviously GT does the same.
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Voyager should have been the closing track!
True. Gone are the days when an epic would be the closer, the climactic point to which an album climbs towards. It seems to be more of a cliche now to have an epic placed second-to-last, with a "comedown" song to close the album. BBT have done this on all their recent albums:
English Electric Full Power (to me and the band the definitive version of EE): East Coast Racer followed by The Butterfly Collector
Folklore: Brooklands followed by Telling the Bees
Grimspound: A Mead Hall in Winter followed by As the Crow Flies
And obviously GT does the same.
And that's perfectly fine by me, especially since "Curator Of Butterflies" and "Telling The Bees" are two of my faves and are both beautiful songs! "As The Crow Flies" is pretty good too!
-Marc.
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Oh yeah, I love all the songs, don't get me wrong. I just miss the days where the big epic would be saved as the definitive final statement on the album. I'm on the hunt for similar cathartic experiences to that of Dream Theater's Octavarium. The entire album being a journey building up to that euphoric release in the closing few minutes of that classic.
My bad for getting the title of Curator of Butterflies wrong. I was in the right ballpark, though, give me that.
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Oh yeah, I love all the songs, don't get me wrong. I just miss the days where the big epic would be saved as the definitive final statement on the album. I'm on the hunt for similar cathartic experiences to that of Dream Theater's Octavarium. The entire album being a journey building up to that euphoric release in the closing few minutes of that classic.
My bad for getting the title of Curator of Butterflies wrong. I was in the right ballpark, though, give me that.
Fair enough, you were close, but it was still kind of funny to me, especially since I love that song so much, the mis-titling gave me a chuckle. :lol
As for ending the album with an epic, I like it both ways, and DT have done both with many closing epics, but on ADTOE, they ended with the come-down song in "Beneath The Surface", and on DT12, they had that easter egg hidden track at the end of "Illumination Theory", so it's definitely a thing in prog that seems to be catching on in various places.
-Marc.
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The thing with Voyager is that it's so powerful and emotional that it HAD to be the last track. I didn't get that feeling with what Roe said from those previous album and I actually didn't notice that until Roe mentioned it. It's hard to turn away from Voyager and then Homesong comes along and its not as powerful, climatic as Voyager is.
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What's funny is, with all this talk of climactic tracks being final tracks goes back to my previous post about the Japanese edition of the album with a bonus 10th track, which makes "Voyager" even FURTHER removed from the end of the album, by another 3-5 minutes! It's certainly a very moving track, but in the concept of the album, I really enjoy "Homesong" as a sort of coda to the idea of journeys and voyages described across the album. It's a perfect bookend for an album about setting out on adventures, which culminates in one about the Voyager spacecrafts, the farthest-reaching man-made objects ever sent into space! In an interview with Greg, I think he said something along the lines of how beautiful it is that Voyager will occasionally come close to us every now and then, but it would be lifetimes in between them. In a sense, they're on their own journey that eventually brings them round back home, so having "Homesong" as the ending is poignant.
-Marc.
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What's funny is, with all this talk of climactic tracks being final tracks goes back to my previous post about the Japanese edition of the album with a bonus 10th track, which makes "Voyager" even FURTHER removed from the end of the album, by another 3-5 minutes! It's certainly a very moving track, but in the concept of the album, I really enjoy "Homesong" as a sort of coda to the idea of journeys and voyages described across the album. It's a perfect bookend for an album about setting out on adventures, which culminates in one about the Voyager spacecrafts, the farthest-reaching man-made objects ever sent into space! In an interview with Greg, I think he said something along the lines of how beautiful it is that Voyager will occasionally come close to us every now and then, but it would be lifetimes in between them. In a sense, they're on their own journey that eventually brings them round back home, so having "Homesong" as the ending is poignant.
-Marc.
I feel like I was just about to write this post.
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New podcast from The Prog Report (https://progreport.com/podcast-top-5-big-big-train-songs-with-david-longdon-and-greg-spawton/) where Greg Spawton and David Longdon pick their top 5 Big Big Train songs and talk about them.
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While I'm here, another thought I had...I wonder how long it will be before Rikard takes lead vocals on a verse or two in a BBT song.
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Found out the other night that "Voyager" is the third in a trilogy of songs about humans and machines, following "East Coast Racer" and "Brooklands". The three of them together create a fascinating suite, so if you take a listen to them together, let me know what you think! I used the EE2 version of ECR, and the "Brooklands Sequence" that adds "On The Racing Line" before "Brooklands" proper (from TSBS).
-Marc.
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Btw, the booklet that comes with the vinyl edition is awesome. :hat
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This album is so damn good. I haven’t been this excited by BBT since first hearing the English electrics in 2013. The long tracks are really good and the shorter ones don’t feel like throwaways like some of the ones on the past few.
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Big Big Train announced for RoSfest!
As announced at the 2019 edition of RoSfest, Big Big Train is the first band that has been booked for the 2020 edition of the festival. To state that this is an exciting signing for us is probably the understatement of the decade.
For the last decade, our audience has made it an annual tradition to request Big Big Train and 2020 is the year when we will make it happen. A long-desired wish, finally fulfilled. Big Big Train will arrive on schedule on May 9th, for a 2-hour performance beginning at 8:00 pm! (Pending permit approval).
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If I may...my current rankings.
1. Ariel
2. Voyager
3. Theodora in Green and Gold
4. Homesong
5. The Florentine
6. Pantheon
7. Roman Stone
8. Alive
9. Novum Organum
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According to this website (https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Big-Big-Train-Reflectors-of-Light-Blu-ray/256212/), the long-awaited BD release from Big Big Train, Reflectors Of Light, is finally coming out on December 6th. No word from the band themselves yet, but it seems imminent.
Can't wait for this blu-ray! It feels like forever since Merchants Of Light was released, so it'll be nice to finally be able to WATCH the concert! Here's hoping they record/film and release some of their recent tour's shows!
-Marc.
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Well, the London show on Saturday night was amazing, one of the best gigs I've been to. Those songs have so much power live. You Americans are in for treat when they bring this show over there next year - what every you do, don't miss it!
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I will be there!
Just for fun, anyone ever watch this guy Just JP on YouTube? His first listen of Summoned By Bells. I love his excitement and enthusiasm. I've heard this song a million times and I still get this excited by it, TBH. :laugh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i0Po2FCWgA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2Ar2RPIS8QvOFHu4UaqhhkRWnPHpWnVh3ziOTh70O3P2Y4KFxPIjUhJBM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XSGGmdHFBU
Posted a couple of days ago, here is the trailer for the band's upcoming live video release, coming to BD and Vimeo. I pre-ordered mine from BurningShed last week and just got my shipping notification this morning, so I hope it comes in in the next couple of weeks. Can't wait to watch this one!
The band also recently sent out a news letter with some updates concerning 2020 shows (including RoSfest and Ramblin' Man Fair), a new solo album by Nick D'Virgilio, and a new collaboration between David Longdon and Judy Dyble. Also reminders that Rikard is touring to support The Flower Kings this month, and David is performing with the Downes Braide Association in February. And violinist Rachel has been working with Soilwork, a Swedish hard rock band.
No further news on any new material, but they did just release a studio album in May, so it might be a little while yet til the next one, but given how frequent their releases have been since English Electric, I wouldn't be surprised if they're already working on new material. I'm still wondering if Station Masters will still come out though...
-Marc.
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I'll be getting this for sure, and I will also give one copy to my dad for Christmas. Looking forward to watching it with him at home! We always used to watch concert DVDs together when I was younger, but we haven't done that in years since I don't live at home anymore. Great chance to revive that old tradition around Christmas :)
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The thing with Voyager is that it's so powerful and emotional that it HAD to be the last track. I didn't get that feeling with what Roe said from those previous album and I actually didn't notice that until Roe mentioned it. It's hard to turn away from Voyager and then Homesong comes along and its not as powerful, climatic as Voyager is.
I do agree that the epic should end the album.
There's a little 5-note violin refrain in Voyager that really summons up that sci-fi feeling of racing off into the unknown far skies and deep time. It should be reprised at the end of the song, repeated and built upon until it soars, then broken back down to a simple fading melody, kind of like how Victorian Brickwork or East Coast Racer ends. I can hear in my head how it should end, and it's so much better than how it does end. Needless to say, my version is longer and there's no time for Homesong on the disc.
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The thing with Voyager is that it's so powerful and emotional that it HAD to be the last track. I didn't get that feeling with what Roe said from those previous album and I actually didn't notice that until Roe mentioned it. It's hard to turn away from Voyager and then Homesong comes along and its not as powerful, climatic as Voyager is.
I do agree that the epic should end the album.
There's a little 5-note violin refrain in Voyager that really summons up that sci-fi feeling of racing off into the unknown far skies and deep time. It should be reprised at the end of the song, repeated and built upon until it soars, then broken back down to a simple fading melody, kind of like how Victorian Brickwork or East Coast Racer ends. I can hear in my head how it should end, and it's so much better than how it does end. Needless to say, my version is longer and there's no time for Homesong on the disc.
Could you state the time at which that chorus comes?
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The violin motif comes at the comedown after the proggy instrumental of "Grand Finale".
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I listened to Grand Tour again this morning and yesterday. This is a great album. My favourite album is still The Underfall Yard, and I would love the band to return to this darker, more complex version of their music. But still, Grand Tour is just beautiful. Those arrangements surpass most bands of today.
Somehow, the music of Big Big Train fits every season. When Grand Tour came out in May, I thought it was the perfect album for spring and the coming summer. Now I listen to it on a sunny but very cold December day and it fits just wonderfully.
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Yeah, I mean the little refrain that kicks it at about 9.36 and repeats for a minute or so. it needs to form the end of the song.
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Big Big Train will launch The Passengers Club on this year's Valentine's Day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0LZQRT8ZFk&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2WCDkG7BWLiRz5AFkbJ9Z2q3MOuRqcEzlqbEaY5lK7RIKCIg60ppwMClo
I'm not sure I know this song they're playing here - anyone recognise it? It sounds very much like NDV on drums, but I can't place it.
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I'm not sure if anyone has seen this, and I would've shared it when it went up, but I was busy this past weekend.
The Passengers Club Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ--H4PZdj8)
To go straight to the Passengers Club sign-up page, click here:
https://thepassengersclub.com/
For more information on the Club, please see the text below:
The Passengers Club is a members-only club where we will share lots of creative material which has not been seen before. Membership of the Passengers Club will give listeners a chance to get behind the scenes in the world of Big Big Train.
The Club will be updated with new online content every fortnight. There will be early demos from the writing and recording stages of our studio releases and demos of songs that got lost along the way, including some tracks from an abandoned concept album that we were working on a few years ago. There will be films of us backstage, recording in the studio and during rehearsals and soundchecks. There will also be exclusive photo galleries, blog posts, Facebook q and a's and other good things.
WHY WE HAVE CREATED THE PASSENGERS CLUB
Generally speaking, things have been going well for Big Big Train. We’ve become a Top 40 album band in the UK, we’ve won awards, we get played on the radio and we get reviewed not just in music magazines but in some parts of the mainstream press as well. And alongside all that, we’ve been playing more gigs and getting some festival headline slots.
However, there are also a lot of things going against BBT.
Whilst vinyl sales are still holding up, CD and download sales are declining as people increasingly choose to access music via streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music.
Streaming is a great thing for listeners who want to access a huge catalogue of music, and we are committed to making sure our releases are available through all good streaming platforms. Unfortunately, streaming services are not currently providing enough income to bands to fill in the gap left behind by declining CD and download sales.
Many heritage bands with big audiences from the 70’s and 80’s have been able to earn a living by focusing on continual touring. However, we’re still building a following and we don’t have that legacy audience on which to base lengthy tours. Furthermore, we are at heart a band of songwriters, so a focus on playing gigs doesn’t work for us as we want to ensure we have time to make new music.
We have started to play more shows to promote the band and we expect to be on tour for a period of time every year from this point on. However, making ends meet on the road is very difficult. We like to perform our songs in a way that includes all of the complicated layers of sound in the arrangements. We don’t play to backing tracks and so our live shows feature twelve musicians on stage. That makes life on tour very expensive as we have a lot of people to feed, accommodate and move around.
We’ve been doing some thinking about how we can sustain Big Big Train in the future and we hit upon the idea of the Passengers Club. We hope that we can offer plenty of unique and interesting content to Club members who will, in turn, help to support the growth of the band.
JOINING THE PASSENGERS CLUB
Listeners can join the club for an initial period of either one or two years. We already have enough content to provide updates (which will take place every two weeks) for the whole of 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, whilst we are making new music and are out on tour we’ll create new films, demos and blogs so that we should be able to keep the Club topped up with fresh material for many years ahead.
We’ll aim to keep the vast majority of content exclusive to the club for at least two years and, for the most part, on a permanent basis. Some of the demo material members will hear may end up being released as finished songs at some stage, but the demos will, of course, be different from the finished versions.
The fee to join the Passengers Club is £30 for one year, or £50 for two years. There is also an option to pay more than the standard charges if anyone wishes to become a patron of the band.
The membership sign-up page is here:
https://thepassengersclub.com/
Thank you for watching the film and reading this information. If you choose to sign up to the Club, we hope you will enjoy your membership. In any case, we greatly appreciate the support of all of our listeners.
Danny, Dave, David, Greg, Nick, Rachel and Rikard
Big Big Train
Sounds intriguing, and whenever I've got the funds, I will definitely join!
-Marc.
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I'm always happy to give this band my money so I'll be joining this for sure!
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I really hope this brings in enough money to keep the band stable. Feels like they’ve done so well on their own building a fan base and getting a lot of recognition, but it stinks that they aren’t really able to make ends meet. I know the tours are expected to lose money. Personally, I’d much rather they focus on making music and limit the live shows to a couple events a year (like the initial shows they played at King’s Place and Cadogan), but I know that most bands are sustained by touring and that may ultimately be necessary to grow their audience. Hopefully people in the states take more notice of the band, though it sounds like there will only be a small number of US shows.
This is very adultish of me, but I wish they could get featured on NPR or someplace artsy like that. Feels like there may be an audience for them beyond just the narrow prog rock sphere.
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I really hope this brings in enough money to keep the band stable. Feels like they’ve done so well on their own building a fan base and getting a lot of recognition, but it stinks that they aren’t really able to make ends meet. I know the tours are expected to lose money. Personally, I’d much rather they focus on making music and limit the live shows to a couple events a year (like the initial shows they played at King’s Place and Cadogan), but I know that most bands are sustained by touring and that may ultimately be necessary to grow their audience. Hopefully people in the states take more notice of the band, though it sounds like there will only be a small number of US shows.
Have you seen this band live? I think they belong on stage!
Feels like there may be an audience for them beyond just the narrow prog rock sphere.
I totally agree with that. I have shown this band to a lot of friends and there was not one who didn't like their music. And most of them were not very familiar to the prog genre.
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I have seen both of the concert films, and they are incredible live. My preference as a fan is always for new music over additional concerts (Marillion has been touring like crazy for four years, and I’m like “can we have a new album now?”), and I think they want to be able to able to focus on new music too. I’ll support whatever keeps them viable as a band though, and hopefully between the tours and the Passengers Club they keep going strong.
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New two CD compilation album for the Japanese/Asia market announced. Enough new stuff to make it worth buying for fans, and should be a good introduction for those unfamiliar with the band. Looks like it’s only getting a Japanese release for now, but on Facebook they indicated it may get a broader release in September.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/summers-lease-compilation-for-japan/
We are pleased to announce a new Big Big Train compilation album which is being released on the Belle Antique label in Japan on March 25th.
The album is called Summer’s Lease and traces the story of Big Big Train from some of its earliest pieces of music through to the contemporary line-up.
Big Big Train worked very closely with Belle Antique to make this an interesting and beautifully presented album. New cover artwork was commissioned from BBT artist Sarah Louise Ewing and the band recorded a brand new instrumental track written by Nick D’Virgilio which is exclusive to this release.
Alongside the new track, the album includes the full 30 minute song cycle called London Song which has never previously been released on CD. This version of London Song also benefits from additional instrumentation which was not included on the previously released download and streaming versions of the song-cycle.
Summer’s Lease also sees the exclusive release of a brand new studio recording of Wind Distorted Pioneers. A live version of this track was performed by the band for the 2015 Stone and Steel Blu-Ray video release. However, this re-arranged version has never before been released as a studio recording.
Finally, one of the band’s earliest pieces, Expecting Snow has been updated for this album, with new keyboards replacing the keyboard parts on the original album sessions.
Tracklisting
Disc One
Expecting Snow (2.45)
Kingmaker (live at Real World studios) (10.51)
Wind Distorted Pioneers (4.38)
Summer’s Lease (live at Real World studios) (5.06)
Master James of St George (live at Real World studios) (6.23)
London Song
(i) Turner on the Thames (3.07)
(ii) London Plane (10.02)
(iii) Lost Rivers of London (6.00)
(iv) London Stone (2.04)
(v) Skylon (6.44)
(vi) Mudlarks (5.59)
Disc Two
Victorian Brickwork (13.04)
Judas Unrepentant (7.16)
East Coast Racer (15.44)
Curator of Butterflies (8.51)
Swan Hunter (6.45)
The Transit of Venus Across the Sun (7.19)
Don’t Forget the Telescope (6.01)
Brave Captain (12.55)
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I saw that this morning and am very excited about it! I may have to wait until the fall for the UK orders to come in as I am fairly broke at the moment, so importing the Japanese version might get expensive.
As I said on Facebook, *this* is how you do a compilation album! Lots of love and care has gone into this one, it seems, and with new versions of songs, one whole new song, and some tweaks on a never-before-physically-released suite, this has enough new stuff for existing fans to buy these songs all over again, not to mention, that gorgeous artwork!
Then again, I have two versions of English Electric (eventually 3 once I get a hold of the remastered Full Power set that came out a year or so ago), so I have no qualms buying music twice (or thrice) from this band. They're one of my absolute favorites, so they deserve it!
-Marc.
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Looks like Big Big Train are performing at The Sweetwater Pavilion right here in Fort Wayne, IN on May 23rd.
https://www.sweetwaterpavilion.com/events/#Big-Big-Train
Should be fun! Personally, I'd like to see a prog leaning festival happen here. It would be nice to walk out of the office after work, stroll across our parking lot, and catch a show.
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That should be great fun. Enjoy!
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Big Big Train postpone US tour - Plus guitarist Dave Gregory quits the band.
(https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-postpone-us-tour)
Looks like Randy McStine will replace Dave for the tour (assuming it still happens).
Sad to see the band lose yet another band member after Andy Poole left 2 years ago.
-Marc.
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Ugh. That’s a double gut punch (though it seemed unlikely that the US tour would go forward already). I’m hoping Gregory remains involved to some extent because he’s been a huge part of their sound since The Underfall Yard. McStine is really talented though. Might bring an interesting new dimension to the music.
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Here’s a more extensive post from the band on Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/story.php?story_fbid=2895152570550394&id=203751903023821
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Kind of a weird excuse about not wanting to tour internationally. Not sure how old is DG though. Big blow to BBT but the Randy is an excellent replacement.
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According to Wikipedia he’s 67. That makes all the sense in the world to me. BBT always existed primarily as a studio band until recently, and I believe most of Gregory’s projects have been the same way (at least XTC famously didn’t tour). I just hate that there had to be a choice between the band touring or Gregory staying on. I’d personally rather have new BBT albums with Gregory on them than more tours. Gregory’s statement in the release makes it sound like future collaboration isn’t being ruled out though, so hopefully he can still contribute to future albums.
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According to Wikipedia he’s 67. That makes all the sense in the world to me. BBT always existed primarily as a studio band until recently, and I believe most of Gregory’s projects have been the same way (at least XTC famously didn’t tour). I just hate that there had to be a choice between the band touring or Gregory staying on. I’d personally rather have new BBT albums with Gregory on them than more tours. Gregory’s statement in the release makes it sound like future collaboration isn’t being ruled out though, so hopefully he can still contribute to future albums.
Ah, 67. Yes, that makes a lot of sense then. I hope he keeps writing and recording in the studio with BBT.
I do feel bad for Randy a bit. He seems to want to be a solo artist and that was part of the reason he want on that solo tour with Pineapple Thief in the US. But he just keeps getting good prog band gigs (Sound of Contact, The Fringe, Dave Kerzner band, etc). His solo stuff is pretty good. Check out Chalk Lines (with Gavin Harrison).
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Yeah, I really enjoy Randy’s work (have heard some of Chalk Lines but haven’t tracked down a copy yet). I think getting a gig like this should help him as a solo artist. The music scene is just so darn crowded and fragmented these days that getting associated with a big(ger) act is probably the best way to get noticed.
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New video of Alive from the last tour:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jFlIQNtPwYo
From Greg:
“With so many people having to spend time at home at the moment we thought we would make some additional video content available. This is a performance of Alive filmed at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax in Oct 2019.
We hope all listeners are safe and well.”
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New video of Alive from the last tour:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jFlIQNtPwYo
From Greg:
“With so many people having to spend time at home at the moment we thought we would make some additional video content available. This is a performance of Alive filmed at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax in Oct 2019.
We hope all listeners are safe and well.”
Seriously, this band is so great on stage. I still hope I can see them in July.
I joined The Passenger's Club. I am always happy to give BBT my money.
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As the updated title suggests, the band recently released a compilation album, first available in Japan and later to be released in the west this fall.
I just received my copy from CD Japan yesterday, and I've already listened to it three times! The new song is an invigorating instrumental that would fit perfectly on any of the band's previous three or four albums. The updated London Song cycle sounds much better to my ears, with the additional instrumentation creating a more cohesive piece with bits of musical bridges between each individual movement/song.
If you're a huge BBT fan, this is a must-have! Sure, you probably own 75% of these songs on CD or MP3 already, but the updated parts and new song make it worth it to me. Then again, I also bought the Japanese version of Grand Tour for its bonus track, so I may be a bit biased. The package itself is a gorgeously laid-out gatefold with some beautiful art as usual.
Summer's Lease is a case of a compilation album done right, and they picked some of the band's best songs to showcase as well!
-Marc.
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I won't buy this one because I don't collect CD's, but I really want to hear that bonus track.
Marc, are you in the Passengers Club? Have you heard the original demo for Curator Of Butterflies? It was originally intended to be much proggier and less "sweet". There used to be an instrumental section in there. Very interesting. I can't decide if I would have liked that version better though.
Also, the July Big Big Train shows are cancelled, as is everything until August 31st. Very sad about that. But I hope they'll be able to reschedule everything.
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I joined the Passenger’s Club this month. The instrumental section on the Curator demo is interesting, but also unfinished so it’s hard to say how it would have turned out with the full band and brass included. Probably would have been great, but I can see why Greg decided it was unnecessary.
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I won't buy this one because I don't collect CD's, but I really want to hear that bonus track.
Marc, are you in the Passengers Club? Have you heard the original demo for Curator Of Butterflies? It was originally intended to be much proggier and less "sweet". There used to be an instrumental section in there. Very interesting. I can't decide if I would have liked that version better though.
Also, the July Big Big Train shows are cancelled, as is everything until August 31st. Very sad about that. But I hope they'll be able to reschedule everything.
I just joined The Passengers Club last week! I've spun all the release audio tracks a couple times each, and the demo for COB is a highly for sure. I do love the final album version a lot, but this proggier version is an interesting look at what their songs have gone through during the writing and demoing stages!
I haven't yet gotten around to the video or other goodies of the TPC, but I look forward to watching and reading all of those in the days and weeks to come.
-Marc.
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It’s possible Big Big Train get their next album together by the end of the year I guess since they aren’t touring (and the Summer’s Lease compilation might get released in the fall outside of Japan).
Quote from HOF from the "Favorite Albums of 2020 so far" thread.
Regarding Summer's Lease, it has been said that the band will be able to release it outside of Japan by September of this year, so it'll probably be made available at the usual shops like Burningshed.
Greg Spawton has said on Facebook that the band are currently in the midst of writing their next album and plan to get together to record it this fall for a Summer 2021 release, so we won't see any new BBT music THIS year, but definitely next year, when they plan to hit the road and visit all the dates they were planning to in 2020, and then some. They've also said that Dave Gregory will be featured as an honored guest in the future, but they did not say in what capacity (probably on their next album that they are planning).
The band have also said that they are looking to release a limited edition CD set compiling a selection of performances from the shows they played in 2018 and 2019. They also have asked the film crew who filmed the Loreley show to put together some more videos of songs so that they can share them.
And speaking of live shows, the Hackney Empire show from London last year was recorded for release. Here is the set list (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2019/hackney-empire-london-england-139d1161.html) for the curious! Greg has said the film was made by Torward Infinity, and it'll be out before Christmas. Also mentioned was that the Hackney show won't get a separate CD release, but they will look to include all the then-new songs on the above-mentioned compilation of live tracks from 2018-2019. Greg mentioned that they will try to avoid over-lap from their previous live releases, but in the case of "The Permanent Way" from the 2018 shows, it segued into "East Coast Racer", so we may get a third live version of ECR (which wouldn't be the end of the world for me, especially if it means getting a live version of TPW).
And finally, they're continuing to work on the remaster (remix?) of The Underfall Yard, due out early next year I believe, as well as a remaster of Bard, which will be out in the next couple of years.
That's all I've got for now, and from what I can recall and find in the BBT Facebook group's posts. Definitely lots of good things happen in the world of Big Big Train over the next year or two, so plenty to look forward to!
-Marc.
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Nice curation Marc!
I’m personally more excited for a new album than a tour, so while it sucks for the band financially, I’m happy to get more music out of all of this! The live albums and re-issues are also something to look forward to. Also have the Longdon/Dibble album and NDV solo album coming this year.
Another way people might support the band is by buying the Genesis book being put out by Greg’s side publishing business. This video has a snippet of some new music the band is working on as well:
https://vimeo.com/415194237?fbclid=IwAR0Oqg4hTTilkE6G15Wx5FgPPhKEHoSuiG4WNa3gOJT8KI55SEDe3QDGqtM
I wish they would finish off the “Station Masters” project they started years ago but it sounds like it’s pretty much lost steam at this point and is unlikely to ever be released.
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Nice curation Marc!
I’m personally more excited for a new album than a tour, so while it sucks for the band financially, I’m happy to get more music out of all of this! The live albums and re-issues are also something to look forward to. Also have the Longdon/Dibble album and NDV solo album coming this year.
I wish they would finish off the “Station Masters” project they started years ago but it sounds like it’s pretty much lost steam at this point and is unlikely to ever be released.
Thanks HOF, and yes, I forgot to mention the David Longdon & Judy Dyble album, as well as NDV's Invisible (which I have on pre-order from NDV"s own site!), so more BBT-related goodness to come THIS year.
As for Station Masters, Greg has mentioned in a recent FB reply that they do have some in-progress songs, but nothing has been finished. I suggested that they release these as part of the Passengers Club series, whether they finish them or not, since a lot of the audio tracks have been demos and in-progress versions of songs anyways. It seems that the band are constantly moving forward, though, so finishing Station Masters seems like a thing of the past at this point. They've even abandoned the "Hope" concept album they were planning after English Electric, and have since turned some of that music into new songs, like "Voyager" from Grand Tour.
-Marc.
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I always thought it would have been cool for the band to let Nick have a go at singing some of the Martin Read songs from the first two albums. As it is, I like Read’s vocals a lot though, and since I do generally like all of those early albums as they are, I’m not as worried about the band re-recording them I guess. Still would have been fun to hear. The one I don’t have is Bard, so it will cool to have that re-mixed and released.
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Let's hope these dates are so far ahead that the storm caused by The Ongoing Goings-On™ will have settled down a bit.
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Let's hope these dates are so far ahead that the storm caused by The Ongoing Goings-On™ will have settled down a bit.
We can only hope. They're already looking forward to rescheduling tour dates for next year, and have even urged current ticket holders to see if the venues will honor those tickets for next year's concerts instead of refunding them. I just hope that the band is able to get together and record the album together later this year rather than try and do it remotely, especially trying to get the brass ensemble together in the room to record as an ensemble.
-Marc.
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The band has created a Spotify playlist of what the set list would have looked like for “The Tour That Never Was.” For those who might be curious.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3HVmaI11zjosk5E2umpdf9?si=LbdgfcJcTgC7_SkDHQI8Mg&fbclid=IwAR1YwKpzOQSyzr5BKW6nl6H_teEPAC7hJsyxObazJsuh7bmbbv1JMSUCkTw&nd=1
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September 25 release date for the Dyble Longdon album. Short (and I do mean very short) teaser and a few more details in here:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/david-longdon-to-release-album-with-former-fairport-convention-singer-judy-dyble?fbclid=IwAR3_QI2hZaF_sFjWAYFchSTlLTa_OTBNyfrNETaOw_mYJwqbpb1NqZCYbPo
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Sadly, Judy has just passed away (not unexpectedly).
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/?fbclid=IwAR3x881MClWvZ_hbqAxuDp7JigwAmoUSnhCrtdvXatqnm4tuVHvb5d2eAkQ
I’m not familiar with Judy’s music outside of her appearance on BBT’s The Ivy Gate, but here she is singing I Talk to the Wind with Giles, Giles & Fripp:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1oGztuOKVNede3Zwmtc_sxdi9ff18axTD2xn107VQRIypioFNvx06EN6k&feature=youtu.be&v=bfqXh5s4t4k
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Premier of The Florentine from the band’s forthcoming Blu-Ray over at the Rambling Man Fair’s YouTube site.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=50m9K6sEEMI
Looks and sounds amazing.
This song/video showcases everything that’s great about BBT. Just amazing writing, playing, and attention to detail. Just an astonishing collection of talent one stage, and it’s all on display in full force.
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Premier of The Florentine from the band’s forthcoming Blu-Ray over at the Rambling Man Fair’s YouTube site.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=50m9K6sEEMI
Looks and sounds amazing.
This song/video showcases everything that’s great about BBT. Just amazing writing, playing, and attention to detail. Just an astonishing collection of talent one stage, and it’s all on display in full force.
Wow, that was wonderful! I cannot wait to get the BD when it comes out!
-Marc.
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Sadness, Ramblin’ Man only had the video up for a day. The band confirmed it won’t be going back up either, though they do plan to release another promo song in the fall. Possible they’ll put the video up on The Passenger’s Club though.
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For those of you in the Passenger’s Club, concert film of Meadhall in Winter from Lorelei is up now. This does not seem like an easy song to pull off, especially not for a group who rarely plays together, but boy did they nail it. Rikard!!!
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For those of you in the Passenger’s Club, concert film of Meadhall in Winter from Lorelei is up now. This does not seem like an easy song to pull off, especially not for a group who rarely plays together, but boy did they nail it. Rikard!!!
I did watch this a couple weeks ago, and WOW, my jaw hit the floor. One of my favorite BBT songs of fall time and they absolutely nailed it.
I cannot wait for the new concert BD they plan to release. I will never not need more of this band in ANY form, and I'm happy the Passengers Club exists! Lots of great stuff on there!
-Marc.
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For those of you in the Passenger’s Club, concert film of Meadhall in Winter from Lorelei is up now. This does not seem like an easy song to pull off, especially not for a group who rarely plays together, but boy did they nail it. Rikard!!!
I did watch this a couple weeks ago, and WOW, my jaw hit the floor. One of my favorite BBT songs of fall time and they absolutely nailed it.
I cannot wait for the new concert BD they plan to release. I will never not need more of this band in ANY form, and I'm happy the Passengers Club exists! Lots of great stuff on there!
-Marc.
The concert film for Winkie that they put up yesterday was quite fun. That one isn’t always one of my favorites, but the film helped to bring it to life a bit.
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Out of curiosity, am I the only one here who got the Summer's Lease compilation so far? If so, is it because no one else here wants it, or are you all waiting for the band to release it from the UK (rather than ordering it from Japan like I did, thankfully, just before they closed off/slowed down their exporting of goods back in March/April).
I'll be honest, if you had asked me before 2020 if I ever thought that a compilation album could be of my favorite albums of a year, I'd laugh, but Summer's Lease is just chock full of great music that it easily contends for AOTY for me every time I listen to it. It's not just a slapped-together compilation. The tracks are picked meaningfully, and show the evolution of the band, while giving long-time fans some new mixes, recordings and versions of songs they may already have on other albums. A highlight has to be the London Song, which is greatly improved on this release over the digital-only Bandcamp version.
If you haven't gotten it yet, definitely seek it out once the band are able to sell it themselves, I believe, starting next month. It's been a great way to tide me over until other new BBT comes out, like the BD that we're supposedly getting by this December. 2020 has been full of live albums for me, so I'm excited to get another one from one of my favorite bands!
-Marc.
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I just haven’t been willing to shell out to import it from Japan. Since there has been mention of an eventual release outside Japan and since its mostly stuff I already have, I’ve been content to wait until I can get it for a more reasonable price. I am looking forward to eventually hearing the new songs though.
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I just haven’t been willing to shell out to import it from Japan. Since there has been mention of an eventual release outside Japan and since its mostly stuff I already have, I’ve been content to wait until I can get it for a more reasonable price. I am looking forward to eventually hearing the new songs though.
When you do get it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! I hope they're able to maintain the gorgeous packaging that the Japanese release had! The artwork is half the set, really, and it really adds to the overall feel they're going for on the compilation.
The "new" stuff is pretty great, especially the new song by Nick, a 6-minute instrumental tune, which is exclusive to the compilation.
I've actually been listening to BBT today, started with Grand Tour, and now I'm going through Summer's Lease (currently on East Coast Racer). No matter how many times I listen to these albums and songs, I never tire of them. Even after discovering them nearly 8 years ago, I am still enjoying these songs just as much, if not more.
-Marc.
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I just haven’t been willing to shell out to import it from Japan. Since there has been mention of an eventual release outside Japan and since its mostly stuff I already have, I’ve been content to wait until I can get it for a more reasonable price. I am looking forward to eventually hearing the new songs though.
When you do get it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! I hope they're able to maintain the gorgeous packaging that the Japanese release had! The artwork is half the set, really, and it really adds to the overall feel they're going for on the compilation.
The "new" stuff is pretty great, especially the new song by Nick, a 6-minute instrumental tune, which is exclusive to the compilation.
I've actually been listening to BBT today, started with Grand Tour, and now I'm going through Summer's Lease (currently on East Coast Racer). No matter how many times I listen to these albums and songs, I never tire of them. Even after discovering them nearly 8 years ago, I am still enjoying these songs just as much, if not more.
-Marc.
I really dug the footage of Greg laying down bass for that NDV composition. I’ve actually gone a little while without listening to much BBT (other than what’s gone up on the Passenger’s Club). Have just had a lot of new stuff to explore lately. Means I’m due for a BBT phase soon.
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I just haven’t been willing to shell out to import it from Japan. Since there has been mention of an eventual release outside Japan and since its mostly stuff I already have, I’ve been content to wait until I can get it for a more reasonable price. I am looking forward to eventually hearing the new songs though.
When you do get it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! I hope they're able to maintain the gorgeous packaging that the Japanese release had! The artwork is half the set, really, and it really adds to the overall feel they're going for on the compilation.
The "new" stuff is pretty great, especially the new song by Nick, a 6-minute instrumental tune, which is exclusive to the compilation.
I've actually been listening to BBT today, started with Grand Tour, and now I'm going through Summer's Lease (currently on East Coast Racer). No matter how many times I listen to these albums and songs, I never tire of them. Even after discovering them nearly 8 years ago, I am still enjoying these songs just as much, if not more.
-Marc.
I really dug the footage of Greg laying down bass for that NDV composition. I’ve actually gone a little while without listening to much BBT (other than what’s gone up on the Passenger’s Club). Have just had a lot of new stuff to explore lately. Means I’m due for a BBT phase soon.
Where is that footage of Greg laying bass down? I think I may have missed that one!
I've sprinkled BBT throughout my listenings over the last few months since Summer's Lease came out, so it's been an exciting BBT-filled summer. Enjoy revisiting BBT when you get around to it. For being one of the newest bands I've discovered (eight years ago lol), they definitely shot up to my top 5 bands of all time.
-Marc.
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Where is that footage of Greg laying bass down? I think I may have missed that one!
I've sprinkled BBT throughout my listenings over the last few months since Summer's Lease came out, so it's been an exciting BBT-filled summer. Enjoy revisiting BBT when you get around to it. For being one of the newest bands I've discovered (eight years ago lol), they definitely shot up to my top 5 bands of all time.
-Marc.
In the March 27 update to The Passenger’s Club under the video section. It’s really great!
I think I got into BBT about the same time as you then. I know I first came across them when The Difference Machine came out, and I downloaded several tracks off their website around 2011 (including The Underfall Yard song), and that was my first real introduction to them. But then I picked up English Electric Full Power around the time it came out, and that blew me away. Have been hooked ever since.
One thing I enjoy is the different eras with Martin Reed, Sean Filkins, and David Longdon all bringing different things to the table as vocalists. Longdon definitely took them to another level in a number of ways (along with the additions of NDV and Dave Gregory), but I think you can see in those early albums just how strong a writer Greg Spawton has always been. In fact, I’d probably say I listen to English Boy Wonders as much as anything from the Longdon era, and both Gathering Speed and The Difference Machine are really strong too.
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New Dyble Longdon song/video. Some nice guitar work by Dave Gregory too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=-3kQLMl7hMs
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New Dyble Longdon song/video. Some nice guitar work by Dave Gregory too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=-3kQLMl7hMs
What a gorgeous song. I'll have to pick up the album eventually, maybe later in the year or early next year, since I've ordered so much new music through August and September already. I'm interested in this album, but not entirely excited (since I've never really been acquainted with Dyble's work).
-Marc.
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Very cool essay in today’s Passenger’s Club update from Greg describing his songwriting process for the next BBT album. Also a short video of Greg recoding a nice little acoustic guitar part. He mentions that altogether he, David, and Nick have written 75 minutes worth of music for the new album (though it’s possible the album will be shorter than that). Plan is to record everyone together in late fall with a release some time next year. Fingers crossed they can actually all travel to do that.
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Wow, Rachel Hall and Danny Manners have decided to leave the band, following Dave Gregory earlier in the year.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-release-video-for-winkie-and-slim-down-to-a-quartet
While I hate to lose their contributions (Rachel in particular has been vital to the band’s sound and stage show), I do think the core group of Spawton/Longdon/Rikard/NDV is a formidable songwriting group, and aside from maybe bringing in an outside violinist (as well as the brass band) I think they can cover the spectrum of sounds and instruments for recording purposes.
I do wonder how much of this might not about trying to stabilize the band financially a bit by pairing down. I hope not, but they do have a new manager they’ve hired in the last year, and the canceled tour was not kind to them financially (they also lost money on their UK tour last year).
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Wow, Rachel Hall and Danny Manners have decided to leave the band, following Dave Gregory earlier in the year.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-release-video-for-winkie-and-slim-down-to-a-quartet
While I hate to lose their contributions (Rachel in particular has been vital to the band’s sound and stage show), I do think the core group of Spawton/Longdon/Rikard/NDV is a formidable songwriting group, and aside from maybe bringing in an outside violinist (as well as the brass band) I think they can cover the spectrum of sounds and instruments for recording purposes.
I do wonder how much of this might not about trying to stabilize the band financially a bit by pairing down. I hope not, but they do have a new manager they’ve hired in the last year, and the canceled tour was not kind to them financially (they also lost money on their UK tour last year).
Just woke up to see this news and I feel quite saddened. If their decision to pare down the band was a financial one then I don't blame them. The pandemic has been very unkind to many bands this year, and at least BBT haven't gone on hiatus like Anathema.
I guess my one optimistic view is that a smaller version of BBT wrote albums like TUY and FSDT so I'm not worried about the quality of music. I wonder if David will play more flute in lieu of less (or no) violin on the next album.
Also at least we have a release date for Empire, the new BD/2CD set! Cannot wait for that!
-Marc.
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I guess my one optimistic view is that a smaller version of BBT wrote albums like TUY and FSDT so I'm not worried about the quality of music. I wonder if David will play more flute in lieu of less (or no) violin on the next album.
-Marc.
Yep. I think those albums you mentioned and even Gathering Speed and The Difference Machine were mostly written by Greg and Andy and the band was supplemented by outside musicians. I think they’ll get along just fine as you still have three outstanding writers and Nick isn’t too shabby. I also think at times the stage got a little crowded lately with everybody needing to get their contributions heard. The Florentine is a good example (they added a second solo section because both Rikard and Danny had solos they wanted included). So it’s sad because both Rachel and Danny are great musicians and a big part of the band’s sound, but I think the 4 piece might turn out to be a nice change of pace.
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Here is a massive update and news posted on the FB page.
Dear Passengers
A copy of the BBT newsletter which is being sent out later today is posted below.
However, we wanted to write a more personal note about the last few months.
This has, of course, been a tough year for everyone. People have lost family, friends and livelihoods. Activities that we all took for granted have been impossible. The music industry has been one of many that have suffered from the restrictions on normal life.
In the last few months, BBT has lost two tours. Alongside the loss of the tours, three valued band members have chosen to leave BBT. At times it has felt that the most sensible approach would be to accept that we had reached the end of the line and to call an end to the band.
However, we believe that we have lots of music left in us and we have decided to accept the changing circumstances and work hard to sustain BBT and to try to maintain the progress that we have made in recent years.
We are looking forward to forming close musical partnerships with our exceptionally talented new live band members Carly and Dave, and we can’t wait to perform some shows as soon as circumstances permit. In the meantime, ahead of live performances, we will be recording a new album and releasing a newly re-mixed re-issue of The Underfall Yard album (with plenty of bonus tracks.)
Thank you for sticking with us.
Best wishes
David, Greg, Nick and Rikard
Big Big Train
Big Big Train newsletter October 2020
We hope that all BBT listeners, families and friends are ok in these challenging times.
Like most recording artists, the pandemic has caused BBT many challenges. Over the last six months, we have lost two tours and have undergone a number of line-up changes. However, we have been working hard behind-the-scenes to keep the train on the rails and we are looking forward to playing concerts again in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, we have a number of announcements to make:
Empire: a new concert film and album
A new concert film and live album (filmed and recorded at the Hackney Empire, London in 2019) will be released on the 27th November. To watch the full length performance of Winkie from the Blu-Ray, please go here:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-release-video-for-winkie-and-slim-down-to-a-quartet
For full details of the Blu-Ray and two CD release and for a preview of the concert film please go to our website here:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com
Band line-up changes
Danny and Rachel have decided to leave Big Big Train; we wish them every success in the future, both personally and musically. The band will continue as a core four piece for studio recordings. We are pleased to announce that Carly Bryant and Dave Foster will be joining the live line-up of BBT. For full details of the line-up changes, please go here:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/#announce
New studio album
During the enforced break from touring, we have written a new studio album which we are recording in November. More news on this in 2021.
Summer’s Lease
Our official store, Burning Shed, have imported 500 copies of the Summer’s Lease compilation album which was originally released by the Belle Antique label in Japan. This double album, featuring new artwork from Sarah Louise Ewing, includes a previously unreleased track called Don’t Forget the Telescope, the full 30 minute song-cycle called London Song (never before available on CD) and a number of other re-worked songs, alongside a selection of the band’s back catalogue. To purchase Summer’s Lease, please follow this link:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain
Solo albums
Over the summer and autumn, there have been solo albums from Nick D’Virgilio, Rikard Sjöblom's Gungfly and from David Longdon who recorded an album with Judy Dyble shortly before she passed away earlier this year.
All of these albums are now available on CD and vinyl from Burning Shed and other good record shops, and on streaming and download platforms.
Live shows
Whilst the situation concerning live shows is extremely uncertain, we currently have two performances scheduled in July 2021. For full details of our live shows, please see our website:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/live/
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-release-video-for-winkie-and-slim-down-to-a-quartet
Congrats to the new touring members, and I'm looking forward to the re-issued TUY as well.
-Marc.
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Well, my CD budget for the month is now blown, having ordered the Dyble Longdon, Gungfly, and now Summer’s Lease all this week.
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Well, my CD budget for the month is now blown, having ordered the Dyble Longdon, Gungfly, and now Summer’s Lease all this week.
You're in for a treat, all three are amazing. I'm kind of jealous that those ordering Summer's Lease from Burning Shed will get a signed postcard, but I've had my CD set since April, and have been enjoying it ever since.
I just ordered Empire from Burning Shed this morning, so that was another $38 tossed their way. The video for Winkie was really great, so I'm excited for the whole concert! I'm glad they've finally released an audio AND video live concert together because the last couple have been separate releases, IIRC.
-Marc.
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Quite saddened by Rachel's and Danny's decisions, especially Danny. I always thought that his beautiful piano and keyboard playing was crucial for the band's sound. As were Dave Gregory's very unique guitar lines.
Let's see where the band will go next. Considering that Greg Spawton wrote my favourite BBT album all by himself (Underfall), I have no concerns that they will put out more great music. Maybe, with the loss of Rachel's violin, the band will move back into a proggy direction of Difference & Underfall and away from their folk-inspired sound of the last few albums?
This band has shrunk from an 8 man band to being a 4 man band. I fear the departure of NDV or Rikard. I hope that will never happen.
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They should rebrand as Little Little Train now.
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Quite saddened by Rachel's and Danny's decisions, especially Danny. I always thought that his beautiful piano and keyboard playing was crucial for the band's sound. As were Dave Gregory's very unique guitar lines.
Let's see where the band will go next. Considering that Greg Spawton wrote my favourite BBT album all by himself (Underfall), I have no concerns that they will put out more great music. Maybe, with the loss of Rachel's violin, the band will move back into a proggy direction of Difference & Underfall and away from their folk-inspired sound of the last few albums?
This band has shrunk from an 8 man band to being a 4 man band. I fear the departure of NDV or Rikard. I hope that will never happen.
Honestly, Greg Spawton is basically the Robert Fripp of BBT, so I don’t think the loss of Danny and Rachel changes anything significantly as far as the writing process. Both made contributions to the final sound and shape of the recordings to be sure (Danny is a very unique prog keyboardist owing to his mainly jazz background, and I think Rachel certainly brought a high degree of musical pedigree to the band as well). But BBT is Greg’s baby with Longdon being the other main writer and Nick and Rikard already having taken on a bigger role in songwriting the last two albums. What will be missed especially with Rachel is her stage presence during the live shows. She and Rikard are basically the two main “performers” in the band, with the others being pretty reserved on stage.
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Quite saddened by Rachel's and Danny's decisions, especially Danny. I always thought that his beautiful piano and keyboard playing was crucial for the band's sound. As were Dave Gregory's very unique guitar lines.
Let's see where the band will go next. Considering that Greg Spawton wrote my favourite BBT album all by himself (Underfall), I have no concerns that they will put out more great music. Maybe, with the loss of Rachel's violin, the band will move back into a proggy direction of Difference & Underfall and away from their folk-inspired sound of the last few albums?
This band has shrunk from an 8 man band to being a 4 man band. I fear the departure of NDV or Rikard. I hope that will never happen.
Honestly, Greg Spawton is basically the Robert Fripp of BBT, so I don’t think the loss of Danny and Rachel changes anything significantly as far as the writing process. Both made contributions to the final sound and shape of the recordings to be sure (Danny is a very unique prog keyboardist owing to his mainly jazz background, and I think Rachel certainly brought a high degree of musical pedigree to the band as well). But BBT is Greg’s baby with Longdon being the other main writer and Nick and Rikard already having taken on a bigger role in songwriting the last two albums. What will be missed especially with Rachel is her stage presence during the live shows. She and Rikard are basically the two main “performers” in the band, with the others being pretty reserved on stage.
Greg definitely is the engine of the band, and between him and the remaining 3 writers/members, I believe they will make a very exciting album for next year. I hope we get some updates from them when they begin recording next month! I wonder if they'll use the full brass band more often on the next album in lieu of not having a dedicated violinist anymore, or if Rachel will come back to do a guest solo? I don't think they've picked out a new live violinist, so maybe not, but who knows! They'll need a violinist by next year's shows either way.
And given how amazing the recent releases by Rikard, Nick, and David have been, I've got complete confidence that Greg and co. will churn out another fantastic album. I still pop in Grand Tour every now and then and love it even more with every listen!
-Marc.
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Quite saddened by Rachel's and Danny's decisions, especially Danny. I always thought that his beautiful piano and keyboard playing was crucial for the band's sound. As were Dave Gregory's very unique guitar lines.
Let's see where the band will go next. Considering that Greg Spawton wrote my favourite BBT album all by himself (Underfall), I have no concerns that they will put out more great music. Maybe, with the loss of Rachel's violin, the band will move back into a proggy direction of Difference & Underfall and away from their folk-inspired sound of the last few albums?
This band has shrunk from an 8 man band to being a 4 man band. I fear the departure of NDV or Rikard. I hope that will never happen.
Honestly, Greg Spawton is basically the Robert Fripp of BBT, so I don’t think the loss of Danny and Rachel changes anything significantly as far as the writing process. Both made contributions to the final sound and shape of the recordings to be sure (Danny is a very unique prog keyboardist owing to his mainly jazz background, and I think Rachel certainly brought a high degree of musical pedigree to the band as well). But BBT is Greg’s baby with Longdon being the other main writer and Nick and Rikard already having taken on a bigger role in songwriting the last two albums. What will be missed especially with Rachel is her stage presence during the live shows. She and Rikard are basically the two main “performers” in the band, with the others being pretty reserved on stage.
Greg definitely is the engine of the band, and between him and the remaining 3 writers/members, I believe they will make a very exciting album for next year. I hope we get some updates from them when they begin recording next month! I wonder if they'll use the full brass band more often on the next album in lieu of not having a dedicated violinist anymore, or if Rachel will come back to do a guest solo? I don't think they've picked out a new live violinist, so maybe not, but who knows! They'll need a violinist by next year's shows either way.
And given how amazing the recent releases by Rikard, Nick, and David have been, I've got complete confidence that Greg and co. will churn out another fantastic album. I still pop in Grand Tour every now and then and love it even more with every listen!
-Marc.
I’d kind of like them to use more synth leads in spots that might have gone to Rachel (presumably by Rikard) but not sure that will happen. Maybe more accordion from Rikard!
I’m listening to Alone Together right now actually, and amazingly Rikard is the one member who hasn’t contributed a song to the upcoming album. But I’m sure he’ll have lots to contribute once it comes time to arrange/record everything. There is just so much talent in this band even with just four members.
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My copy of Summer’s Lease arrived. Listening now and my goodness does it sound good. Even on my computer speakers. Diving into the reworked London Song now.
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My copy of Summer’s Lease arrived. Listening now and my goodness does it sound good. Even on my computer speakers. Diving into the reworked London Song now.
Very nice! :tup I have been listening to it today, with most of it this morning (up to Curator Of Butterflies). I've had it for almost 6 months now and I still find myself going back to it! Like I've said before, it's easily one of the best compilations released by any band that I like, between new iterations of old songs, tweaks to others, and the one new song written by NDV, it really offers a lot to BBT fans new and old.
The 500 copies allotted to Burning Shed all sold out earlier this week, so it was definitely in demand. I hope everyone who wanted one has gotten theirs already!
-Marc.
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My copy of Summer’s Lease arrived. Listening now and my goodness does it sound good. Even on my computer speakers. Diving into the reworked London Song now.
Is London Song a newly recorded piece connecting all the songs or is it just the individual songs stacked together with fade-ins/outs?
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My copy of Summer’s Lease arrived. Listening now and my goodness does it sound good. Even on my computer speakers. Diving into the reworked London Song now.
Is London Song a newly recorded piece connecting all the songs or is it just the individual songs stacked together with fade-ins/outs?
London Song is a compilation of the individual tracks about London which they released as a download a few years ago but didn’t re-record any of it or add to those tracks. For Summer’s Lease they’ve added some musical interludes to connect the different songs which weren’t on the previous version. I’m only through the first interlude (which worked nicely I’ll add) so can’t really comment more than that!
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My copy of Summer’s Lease arrived. Listening now and my goodness does it sound good. Even on my computer speakers. Diving into the reworked London Song now.
Is London Song a newly recorded piece connecting all the songs or is it just the individual songs stacked together with fade-ins/outs?
London Songs is a compilation of the individual tracks about London which they released as a download a few years ago but didn’t re-record any of it or add to those tracks. For Summer’s Lease they’ve added some musical interludes to connect the different songs which weren’t on the previous version. I’m only through the first interlude (which worked nicely I’ll add) so can’t really comment more than that!
This is correct! All the songs now have proper musical segues between them so the flow is pretty seamless, IMO, and all the little touches add so much to the over-all suite.
-Marc.
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I’m glad they included Brave Captain in this set. The mix on Grimspound has never sounded right to me (especially during the instrumental section). Was too bottom heavy and seemed like the drums especially got squashed. Sounding good on this release though.
Pretty much the only BBT song I’ve felt that way about. Rob Aubrey’s recording/mixing is almost always flawless.
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Also, having heard the new mix/keyboards on Expecting Snow, I really hope they rework the whole Goodbye to the Age of Steam album in that fashion. Probably won’t happen, but I love that one and think more people would enjoy it if they updated the keyboard sound. I actually really love Martin Read’s voice so they don’t have to redo the vocals, but it would be kind of cool to have Nick sing lead on some of those songs. Think his voice might fit better than Longdon’s in some ways.
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You can hear Hedgerow from the upcoming Empire release at around the 32 minute mark here:
https://m.mixcloud.com/garry-foster/prog-rock-files-15102020-hour-one/?fbclid=IwAR0xABkNd3i4WMzehMrTWaE2TTWE14kV871SYvOnawCTRvw-njCY2i7V_Yk
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They should rebrand as Little Little Train now.
:lol
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First day of recording for the next album, per the band on Facebook. Appear to be going for a binaural effect (at least for the brass band!).
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/bigbigtrain/photos/pb.203751903023821.-2207520000../3493677000697945/?type=3
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First day of recording for the next album, per the band on Facebook. Appear to be going for a binaural effect (at least for the brass band!).
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/bigbigtrain/photos/pb.203751903023821.-2207520000../3493677000697945/?type=3
Saw that and other pics posted earlier today. Looks like Greg was taking pics for the album booklet as well, or promotional images for the album at any rate. I wonder if all the writing has been done? Nick hasn't said if he's recorded his drums parts yet, but I recall either Greg or David saying they were planning on having Nick and Rikard come to Real World to record their parts as well, but I may be wrong about that, or perhaps those plans changes and they'll just have them record their parts in their own home studios.
Either way, I wonder if the brass band finishing their parts means the album is almost done, or if they were just some of the first parts to get done for the album. Either way, it will be a contender for AOTY for 2021 for sure, especially since so many bands I like released albums THIS year, there can't be too many for 2021 (Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, and Transatlantic are the only ones that come to mind).
-Marc.
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First day of recording for the next album, per the band on Facebook. Appear to be going for a binaural effect (at least for the brass band!).
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/bigbigtrain/photos/pb.203751903023821.-2207520000../3493677000697945/?type=3
Saw that and other pics posted earlier today. Looks like Greg was taking pics for the album booklet as well, or promotional images for the album at any rate. I wonder if all the writing has been done? Nick hasn't said if he's recorded his drums parts yet, but I recall either Greg or David saying they were planning on having Nick and Rikard come to Real World to record their parts as well, but I may be wrong about that, or perhaps those plans changes and they'll just have them record their parts in their own home studios.
Either way, I wonder if the brass band finishing their parts means the album is almost done, or if they were just some of the first parts to get done for the album. Either way, it will be a contender for AOTY for 2021 for sure, especially since so many bands I like released albums THIS year, there can't be too many for 2021 (Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, and Transatlantic are the only ones that come to mind).
-Marc.
Greg has said in the Passenger’s Club that they have already written 70+ minutes of music for the album. I remember him saying they were going to get everyone together to record as well, but I’m not sure if it’s even possible for that to include Nick due to travel restrictions. I guess they decided to start with the brass band, because they’ve been saying recording would start in November.
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Today, the band are pleased to share the video for "The Florentine" taken from the live set, which you can see here:
https://youtu.be/esEmrZbPYas
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"When I wrote The Florentine, it was written as a song that would enable Nick to step out from behind his drum kit and join me, singing together in close harmony at the front of the stage,” David Longdon says. “BBT has several singers within the ranks and I was keen to write layered harmony vocal sections too. Here we are performing The Florentine live at the final concert of our first UK tour."
“The Florentine is yet another reason why I just love being in Big Big Train!” Nick D’Virgilio adds. “Not only did David write a beautiful vocal that allowed me to come forwards and sing alongside him, but he also wrote a cracking second half of the song that is a total blast to play drums on - the best of both worlds in my humble opinion. We all had so much fun at the gig at the Hackney Empire and everyone in the band was on fire that night.”
Watch the previously released video for "Winkie" from Empire here:
https://youtu.be/m02Do2ShXvI
Empire is available as a Blu-ray/2CD set and is available for pre-order here:
https://burningshed.com/big-big-train_empire_2cd_blu-ray
Tracklisting:
Blu-ray
1) Novum Organum
2) Alive
3) Hedgerow
4) Theodora in Green and Gold
5) Winkie
6) The Florentine
7) Brave Captain
8) Voyager
9) Homesong
10) Wassail
11) Engines and Men
12) East Coast Racer
CD 1
1) Novum Organum
2) Alive
3) Hedgerow
4) Theodora in Green and Gold
5) Winkie
6) The Florentine
7) Brave Captain
CD 2
1) Voyager
2) Homesong
3) Wassail
4) Engines and Men
5) East Coast Racer
Unknown to the band at the time, Empire also memorialises the last Big Big Train concert to feature guitarist Dave Gregory, violinist Rachel Hall and keyboardist Danny Manners. While Dave Gregory’s departure from Big Big Train was announced in March this year, Rachel Hall and Danny Manners have also recently decided the leave the band.
“Every night of our first ever UK tour was special, but playing the Hackney Empire was particularly memorable. It is now additionally poignant as our last full show with Dave, Danny and Rachel,” BBT bassist Gregory Spawton comments. “We’re thrilled by the work that Tim Sidwell and his team and Rob Aubrey have done. We remain proud of our two previous concert films, but visually and sonically Empire represents another step forward and is a great way to mark the end of a particular era for BBT.”
“Over the three decades of the band’s existence, Big Big Train’s line-up has seen plenty of comings and goings,” Gregory Spawton continues. “We fully respect the decisions that Danny and Rachel have reached. While we will miss them personally, equally we are intrigued about how BBT will evolve further as we enter a new phase in our career. David, our drummer Nick D’Virgilio, our guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom and I have already written a new BBT studio album and will be going into the studio later in the autumn with as a core quartet to record it. We’re aiming to release it before next summer in time for our next live shows.”
For those 2021 live shows, Big Big Train are delighted to announce that keyboardist Carly Bryant and guitarist Dave Foster will join the BBT live band, with the identity of a new violinist to be announced soon.
Following the cancellation of Big Big Train’s July 2020 UK/European tour due to the coronavirus pandemic, the following dates have been re-arranged for 2021:
Saturday 17 July - Ramblin’ Man Festival, Kent, UK
Sunday 18 July – Friars, Aylesbury, UK
Further dates will be announced in due course.
BIG BIG TRAIN online:
www.bigbigtrain.com
https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain/
https://twitter.com/bigbigtrain
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That performance of The Florentine is tremendous (it was briefly released a few months back for the Ramblin’ Man Fair or whatever that was). Really shows off the strengths of everyone in the band.
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First day of recording for the next album, per the band on Facebook. Appear to be going for a binaural effect (at least for the brass band!).
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/bigbigtrain/photos/pb.203751903023821.-2207520000../3493677000697945/?type=3
Saw that and other pics posted earlier today. Looks like Greg was taking pics for the album booklet as well, or promotional images for the album at any rate. I wonder if all the writing has been done? Nick hasn't said if he's recorded his drums parts yet, but I recall either Greg or David saying they were planning on having Nick and Rikard come to Real World to record their parts as well, but I may be wrong about that, or perhaps those plans changes and they'll just have them record their parts in their own home studios.
Either way, I wonder if the brass band finishing their parts means the album is almost done, or if they were just some of the first parts to get done for the album. Either way, it will be a contender for AOTY for 2021 for sure, especially since so many bands I like released albums THIS year, there can't be too many for 2021 (Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, and Transatlantic are the only ones that come to mind).
-Marc.
Greg has said in the Passenger’s Club that they have already written 70+ minutes of music for the album. I remember him saying they were going to get everyone together to record as well, but I’m not sure if it’s even possible for that to include Nick due to travel restrictions. I guess they decided to start with the brass band, because they’ve been saying recording would start in November.
Ahh wow, 70 minutes? I may have read that on the PC page, but I guess I forgot. I don't think Nick will be able to travel to Real World studios to record either, but hopefully they don't mind if he records at Sweetwater.
That performance of The Florentine is tremendous (it was briefly released a few months back for the Ramblin’ Man Fair or whatever that was). Really shows off the strengths of everyone in the band.
It was great to watch that performance once again. I am beyond excited for this live set, especially with six Grand Tour songs being featured! It's been quite the year for BBT, with a lot of related releases, and a big shake-up in the line-up, but I think moving forward, they've got a lot going on for them.
There was also news that they plan to expand their English Electric Records label and publish more albums from other artists, at least, I think that's what I read last week. There's a lot going on in the BBT station, so much to look forward to!
-Marc.
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So the mods over on the BBT Facebook page just posted the most specific release date info I’ve seen:
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10157910070148668/
The Underfall Yard re-issue in March, and “on target” for the new album release in June/July 2021.
I had been worried that the new UK shutdown might stop work on the new album altogether, but sounds like they’ll be able to keep going.
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So the mods over on the BBT Facebook page just posted the most specific release date info I’ve seen:
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10157910070148668/
The Underfall Yard re-issue in March, and “on target” for the new album release in June/July 2021.
I had been worried that the new UK shutdown might stop work on the new album altogether, but sounds like they’ll be able to keep going.
Saw that this morning. An early summer release sounds good for me, seems like they're giving themselves plenty of time to get it done. I assume all the writing is finished, so they'll probably finish recording it by the end of the year, then spend a couple of months going over the mix and doing overdubs and final touches, then get it mastered and pressed by May/June. With that timeline, I suspect we'll get solid info and the first press release by March, just in time for my birthday!
-Marc.
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::)
The Underfall Yard reissue was initially supposed to come out in 2019, now it's 2020 and now they're saying it's coming out next year. What could possibly be taking so long?
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::)
The Underfall Yard reissue was initially supposed to come out in 2019, now it's 2020 and now they're saying it's coming out next year. What could possibly be taking so long?
I believe it will include some re-recorded tracks that were done this year, and they also did a 5.1 mix I believe. I think it took on a bigger scope than just a remix/remaster as originally planned.
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::)
The Underfall Yard reissue was initially supposed to come out in 2019, now it's 2020 and now they're saying it's coming out next year. What could possibly be taking so long?
I believe it will include some re-recorded tracks that were done this year, and they also did a 5.1 mix I believe. I think it took on a bigger scope than just a remix/remaster as originally planned.
I believe that is the plan from what I recall reading.
I also think they may have pushed the TUY re-issue back a couple of times because they were preparing for touring in 2019, so that might have taken up all that time, and so they postponed it to 2020, but then 2020 tours were booked, and subsequently canceled, so that may have put a wrench in their scheduled plans. With the pandemic still going on, I think Greg may have finally buckled down and worked on it some more with Rob (Aubrey) and now have a more definitive release plan for it, so hopefully, with no further delays, we will get it next Spring.
At any rate, it looks like 2021 will be another big year for the Big Big Train!
-Marc.
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New interview with David Longdon. He talks a little bit about the changes in the band lineup and how that will impact the new material. He talks about them trying to “embrace the change” and use it as an opportunity to maybe go in a little different direction (“but not ridiculously so”). Sounds good to me. He also notes he and Greg are recording now/have been recording at Real World, but of course Nick and Rikard aren’t able to be there. Sounds like they’ll be recording on their own/working remotely on the album. I’m pretty excited to see what new directions they might go in.
https://progreport.com/david-longdon-big-big-train-interview-empire/
Also got my shipping notification from Burning Shed for Empire today. Not sure what the odds are that it gets here from the UK by Friday, but keeping my fingers crossed.
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New interview with David Longdon. He talks a little bit about the changes in the band lineup and how that will impact the new material. He talks about them trying to “embrace the change” and use it as an opportunity to maybe go in a little different direction (“but not ridiculously so”). Sounds good to me. He also notes he and Greg are recording now/have been recording at Real World, but of course Nick and Rikard aren’t able to be there. Sounds like they’ll be recording on their own/working remotely on the album. I’m pretty excited to see what new directions they might go in.
https://progreport.com/david-longdon-big-big-train-interview-empire/
Also got my shipping notification from Burning Shed for Empire today. Not sure what the odds are that it gets here from the UK by Friday, but keeping my fingers crossed.
Got that email notification this morning as well. My typical ship time from Burning Shed is typically a week, so I don't expect to get mine until next Monday, especially with the holiday weekend, I'm sure it'll take an extra day or two to travel once it gets into the US, but if it arrives before the weekend, I'll be surprisingly happy!
Anytime I hear about the new BBT album, I get excited for what might be my AOTY for 2021 (though that depends on what Transatlantic's The Absolute Universe has to offer). I grow more curious as to what a four-man BBT might have to offer in terms of writing and performance!
-Marc.
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Happy release day for Empire! The band have released a music video for "Hedgerow" on YouTube (https://youtu.be/LdZXNtrP8HI), and it's a damn fine performance too! Cannot wait to get my set in the mail!
-Marc.
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Happy release day for Empire! The band have released a music video for "Hedgerow" on YouTube (https://youtu.be/LdZXNtrP8HI), and it's a damn fine performance too! Cannot wait to get my set in the mail!
-Marc.
Waiting for the mail to come today before I watch the Hedgerow vid. If no Empire, I’ll allow myself a sneak preview.
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After ten days, I still find myself listening to the two new songs nearly every day, sometimes a few times each day. At work, I began a mini-EP version of the album on my playlist, which adds a few more holiday/Christmas-time or sounding songs after the single proper.
Merry Christmas
Snowfalls
Meadowland
British Racing Green
Wassail
The Second Brightest Star
A Mead Hall In Winter
I initially didn't include Meadowland or TSBS, but several fellow Passengers (what we call BBT fans in the BBT group on facebook) suggested those two tunes, and I was OK with adding at least Meadowland given its lyrical/musical connection to AMHIW. With TSBS, the mellow feel of the song definitely feels wintery to my ears, so it was a fine addition.
Snowfalls is a typical BBT song which every fan will love. The ending is stunning.
I know, right?! The ending of Snowfalls is astonishing, one of my favorite musical moments in any new song I've heard this year!
-Marc.
It's December, so its time to bring back my Holiday/Winter BBT Playlist but this time, I've added two more tracks!
Merry Christmas
Snowfalls
Meadowland
British Racing Green
Expecting Snow (from Summer's Lease)
Wassail
The Second Brightest Star
Don't Forget The Telescope (from Summer's Lease)
A Mead Hall In Winter
"Expecting Snow" seemed like a no-brainer to add, and while I was at it, I threw in the new instrumental from the Summer's Lease Compilation album, just to give me more chances to listen to it outside of the Compilation album. It brings the playlist up to 56:24, so pretty much an album in its own right!
-Marc.
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Mine arrived on Friday, an unexpected surprise because I'd forgotten about it! Listened to it over the weekend, I shouldn't have to say it's brilliant, because it's BBT and that goes without saying. While I'm stoked for new music next year, Dave, Rachel and Danny will be sorely missed.
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Watched the Empire BD tonight, and WOW, what another breathtaking concert video from BBT. The sound and video are pretty flawless and everyone is performing their hearts out!
While this setlist does have a bit of overlap with their previous live albums, the amount of never-before-released-live material is worth it. So glad to be able to add this one of my BBT collection!
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/129491486_10102632794291311_4586427974289310963_o.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=1480c5&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=LpRVbPfPaQEAX8iRab9&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=eeb1c521b075b408b170b6aad3875ae0&oe=5FEE8B63)
-Marc.
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I just watched The Florentine and Hedgerow and got chills, this band is so good. I wish someday they can make it to the US. And how damn great is NDV? He just shines in everything he does, not flashy, just does the job every time so well!
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I just watched The Florentine and Hedgerow and got chills, this band is so good. I wish someday they can make it to the US. And how damn great is NDV? He just shines in everything he does, not flashy, just does the job every time so well!
Nick is just an absolute pro. He’s so much fun to watch work.
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Well first I had to wait for delivery from England and then had to wait until I had an evening to myself to watch it, but it was well worth the wait for Empire. Just a phenomenal performance, recording, and film. It’s astonishing how much the band has grown from their first shows at King’s Place. Notably David Longdon seems so much more confident than in those early gigs.
And boy was his voice in great form. The first two songs I was actually a little worried. He sounded a little horse on Alive and hit somewhat of a bad note improvising on Hedgerow, and I thought maybe he was a little tired as it was the last night of the tour. But he warmed up and by the time Winkie rolled around he was cruising. But boy, he was especially excellent on Voyager and East Coast Racer.
Speaking of Voyager, that’s not a simple song but the whole band blew through it like it was nothing. Just amazing to watch everyone work their craft on the same stage. Nick is amazing, and he just anchors the entire show perfectly. I was also taken by Dave Gregory’s playing. It is so subtle but also extremely inventive and even playful at times. His solo at the end of East Coast Racer to close the show was a thing of beauty.
It seemed like some of the editing was intended to highlight Dave, Rachel, and Danny as this was their last show with the band. What a send off for those three.
My one mild complaint which was somewhat true of Reflectors of Light as well is that the editing captures too little of Greg Spawton. I wonder if that is partly due to his shy and unassuming personality influencing some editing decisions. He’s a wonderful player but not necessarily an experienced or confident one. But I love watching him work and I wish there were a little more of him on this film.
But there’s really nothing but great things to say about this. Go grab it if you haven’t yet.
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In a post in the BBT Facebook group, someone asked about Bard being re-issued. In recent years, Greg has said that there was no interest in revisiting Bard as he (or perhaps the band) felt that the album wasn't worth revisiting, but the band replied to the recent post saying that Bard is being remixed for a limited edition re-issue in 2022.
So fans will finally be able to add the missing piece of their BBT collection without having to spend several hundred dollars on the original issue. Bard isn't an album I revisit regularly anyway, but it'll be nice to have it in a remixed format and upgraded to match the rest of their discography, which has seen remixes, remasters, and re-issues since 2008 or so, all except Bard.
-Marc.
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In a post in the BBT Facebook group, someone asked about Bard being re-issued. In recent years, Greg has said that there was no interest in revisiting Bard as he (or perhaps the band) felt that the album wasn't worth revisiting, but the band replied to the recent post saying that Bard is being remixed for a limited edition re-issue in 2022.
So fans will finally be able to add the missing piece of their BBT collection without having to spend several hundred dollars on the original issue. Bard isn't an album I revisit regularly anyway, but it'll be nice to have it in a remixed format and upgraded to match the rest of their discography, which has seen remixes, remasters, and re-issues since 2008 or so, all except Bard.
-Marc.
Greg says it's being reissued in 2022? I guess we can count on a 2025 release...
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New interview with Greg with some discussion of the new album (though he was trying to keep details to a minimum).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv-T35M_Szw&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1w7G5hBS720iGg3jdHuJ2FCtI3s2AKJfoMtcobjN-xXZlagkbw2RD5lbM
States it is being mixed now and that they have about 80 minutes of music that they will narrow down to make fit to one CD (I imagine there may be a few extra tracks left over that could surface on an EP like with Far Skies Deep Time and The Second Brightest Star). Also mentions the new music might be somewhat heavier than before. Will be interesting to see what he means by that. I’m thinking they might be exploring more of the sound of the ending of Snowfalls or the middle section of Voyager (could also see Rikard playing a bigger role in the sound of the album which might make it a bit heavier in some respects). Confirms it’s on track for a July release, which is suddenly just 5 months away!
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New interview with Greg with some discussion of the new album (though he was trying to keep details to a minimum).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv-T35M_Szw&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1w7G5hBS720iGg3jdHuJ2FCtI3s2AKJfoMtcobjN-xXZlagkbw2RD5lbM
States it is being mixed now and that they have about 80 minutes of music that they will narrow down to make fit to one CD (I imagine there may be a few extra tracks left over that could surface on an EP like with Far Skies Deep Time and The Second Brightest Star). Also mentions the new music might be somewhat heavier than before. Will be interesting to see what he means by that. I’m thinking they might be exploring more of the sound of the ending of Snowfalls or the middle section of Voyager (could also see Rikard playing a bigger role in the sound of the album which might make it a bit heavier in some respects). Confirms it’s on track for a July release, which is suddenly just 5 months away!
Was just gonna post this... I am hypeddddd :metal
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He also teased another imminent announcement the other day, which I imagine is in regards to the re-issue of The Underfall Yard.
https://twitter.com/bigbigtrain/status/1355126487402377218?s=21
I wouldn’t mind hearing some all acoustic versions of BBT songs if they wanted to ever put something like that out.
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He also teased another imminent announcement the other day, which I imagine is in regards to the re-issue of The Underfall Yard.
https://twitter.com/bigbigtrain/status/1355126487402377218?s=21
I wouldn’t mind hearing some all acoustic versions of BBT songs if they wanted to ever put something like that out.
You might like this acoustic version then!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpwpAJm1sA
Not sure if this was shared already ;)
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He also teased another imminent announcement the other day, which I imagine is in regards to the re-issue of The Underfall Yard.
https://twitter.com/bigbigtrain/status/1355126487402377218?s=21
I wouldn’t mind hearing some all acoustic versions of BBT songs if they wanted to ever put something like that out.
You might like this acoustic version then!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpwpAJm1sA
Not sure if this was shared already ;)
Oh, yeah, that one is great. There’s also a nice video of David doing Telling The Bees on acoustic available to Passenger Club members. I’m thinking more of classical type arrangements, but those are great too.
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New interview with Greg with some discussion of the new album (though he was trying to keep details to a minimum).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv-T35M_Szw&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1w7G5hBS720iGg3jdHuJ2FCtI3s2AKJfoMtcobjN-xXZlagkbw2RD5lbM
States it is being mixed now and that they have about 80 minutes of music that they will narrow down to make fit to one CD (I imagine there may be a few extra tracks left over that could surface on an EP like with Far Skies Deep Time and The Second Brightest Star). Also mentions the new music might be somewhat heavier than before. Will be interesting to see what he means by that. I’m thinking they might be exploring more of the sound of the ending of Snowfalls or the middle section of Voyager (could also see Rikard playing a bigger role in the sound of the album which might make it a bit heavier in some respects). Confirms it’s on track for a July release, which is suddenly just 5 months away!
Just listened to the interview, and MAN those audio pops were VERY distracting, but a good interview otherwise. If I had to hazard a guess, I'm going to say that they'll pare the studio album material down to about 50-55 minutes, and save the remaining 25-30 minutes for an EP or a second album (think Folklore-to-Grimspound) with some more new material.
I'd like to think that if they have some heavier material, it might be Nick's and/or Rikard's contributions, but maybe Greg had a hand in that as well. A mid-summer release sounds perfect for new Big Big Train! In a year filled with new Transatlantic and Liquid Tension Experiment, BBT have some great competition for AOTY for me, but no matter what else comes out in a given year, BBT is always near the top for me, so I cannot wait to hear what they have in store for us!
-Marc.
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And just like that, The Underfall Yard reissue is announced with an April 9 release date!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-new-reissue-of-the-underfall-yard
Bonus disc features re-recordings of the title track (with a new brass intro) and Victorian Brickwork and one previously unreleased song as well. Sounds like it will be pretty amazing!
Track list for disc 2:
1. Songs From The Shoreline: (i) Victorian Brickwork (2020 Version) (ii) Fat Billy Shouts Mine
2. Prelude To The Underfall Yard
3. The Underfall Yard (2020 version)
4. Brew And Burgh
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-new-reissue-of-the-underfall-yard
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And just like that, The Underfall Yard reissue is announced with an April 9 release date!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-new-reissue-of-the-underfall-yard
Bonus disc features re-recordings of the title track (with a new brass intro) and Victorian Brickwork and one previously unreleased song as well. Sounds like it will be pretty amazing!
Track list for disc 2:
1. Songs From The Shoreline: (i) Victorian Brickwork (2020 Version) (ii) Fat Billy Shouts Mine
2. Prelude To The Underfall Yard
3. The Underfall Yard (2020 version)
4. Brew And Burgh
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-new-reissue-of-the-underfall-yard
Bandcamp has Winchester Diver available to stream or download now. Features some new brass! I’m only listening on my phone but it sounds amazing.
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/the-underfall-yard-2?fbclid=IwAR1f-RzUSHEAPC2RpDjdmfEfFefut1DgbUr7frYAoDiLem-cplyCvLk2uQ0
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And just like that, The Underfall Yard reissue is announced with an April 9 release date!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-new-reissue-of-the-underfall-yard
Bonus disc features re-recordings of the title track (with a new brass intro) and Victorian Brickwork and one previously unreleased song as well. Sounds like it will be pretty amazing!
Track list for disc 2:
1. Songs From The Shoreline: (i) Victorian Brickwork (2020 Version) (ii) Fat Billy Shouts Mine
2. Prelude To The Underfall Yard
3. The Underfall Yard (2020 version)
4. Brew And Burgh
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-new-reissue-of-the-underfall-yard
Bandcamp has Winchester Diver available to stream or download now. Features some new brass! I’m only listening on my phone but it sounds amazing.
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/the-underfall-yard-2?fbclid=IwAR1f-RzUSHEAPC2RpDjdmfEfFefut1DgbUr7frYAoDiLem-cplyCvLk2uQ0
I actually emailed the band back in 2016 asking if/when they would re-release this masterpiece on vinyl and they told me they planned on doing it in 2019 (for its 10th anniversary I guess). I was getting fed up with all the delays (although they never actually announced anything officially) - but now I'm extremely happy seeing how much work apparently went into this release.
I would have pre-ordered the test pressing, but it's already sold out. I ordered the colored vinyl instead (I guess you guys know me by now and are aware that I'm a sucker for all things vinyl and limited :lol ).
AND it's coming out on my birthday too! Although I can't imagine it arriving on that exact day, as Burning Shed orders usually arrive the Monday after the release day. Plus, all the Brexit stuff...
Still, very hyped; what a year to be a Big Big Train fan :metal
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I just preordered the 2CD set. I wanted the t-shirt too but it doubled the shipping costs. Maybe it'll get discounted in the future? If they still have some in my size when I have more money later to spare, I'll pick one up.
Either way this was very exciting news to wake up to!
-Marc.
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New video for The Underfall Yard! Apparently they got Francis Dunnery to redo his solos. I always thought the originals were great but I know some fans thought they were too aggressive/shred for the band’s style. Haven’t listened yet but will soon!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/francis-dunnery-adds-new-solo-to-title-track-of-big-big-trains-the-underfall-yard?fbclid=IwAR3SHjG-wXoTo4wege-dCjBuQyxXHkHLO-nRcoWuB6SGltZJS0DagiKj8po
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New video for The Underfall Yard! Apparently they got Francis Dunnery to redo his solos. I always thought the originals were great but I know some fans thought they were too aggressive/shred for the band’s style. Haven’t listened yet but will soon!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/francis-dunnery-adds-new-solo-to-title-track-of-big-big-trains-the-underfall-yard?fbclid=IwAR3SHjG-wXoTo4wege-dCjBuQyxXHkHLO-nRcoWuB6SGltZJS0DagiKj8po
I have listened to the title track about 2000 times in my life and know every little detail. Listened to the solo only and it's a great solo, but I will have to get used to it. The mix sounds great though.
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New video for The Underfall Yard! Apparently they got Francis Dunnery to redo his solos. I always thought the originals were great but I know some fans thought they were too aggressive/shred for the band’s style. Haven’t listened yet but will soon!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/francis-dunnery-adds-new-solo-to-title-track-of-big-big-trains-the-underfall-yard?fbclid=IwAR3SHjG-wXoTo4wege-dCjBuQyxXHkHLO-nRcoWuB6SGltZJS0DagiKj8po
I have listened to the title track about 2000 times in my life and know every little detail. Listened to the solo only and it's a great solo, but I will have to get used to it. The mix sounds great though.
The new remix sounds amazing, and I cannot wait to get the 2CD album from Burning Shed in a couple of months! I like that they finally went back and segued "Victorian Brickwork" into "Fat Billy Shouts Mine", which was originally intended to feature on TUY but it wasn't completed in time for the album. I'm also excited for the new song "Brew And Burgh"! Hearing the new mix of TUY will definitely whet my appetite for the new album this summer! I'm sure we won't hear anything about it until after the new TUY release is come out. If they're still aiming for a July release, we'll probably get press info on the new album sometime in early or mid May.
-Marc.
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What has me hyped up is that Greg said they are going into a "bit heavier" direction with the new album. I love Grand Tour, but it was very nice and positive - I'd love to hear them explore a little more experimental, proggy and maybe dark territory (again). They did that with The Underfall Yard, and it's still my favorite album by them (and one of my 15 or so favorite albums of all time).
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What has me hyped up is that Greg said they are going into a "bit heavier" direction with the new album. I love Grand Tour, but it was very nice and positive - I'd love to hear them explore a little more experimental, proggy and maybe dark territory (again). They did that with The Underfall Yard, and it's still my favorite album by them (and one of my 15 or so favorite albums of all time).
The Difference Machine is also a bit heavier and darker than most of their albums. Wouldn’t mind them revisiting that sound/style again.
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What has me hyped up is that Greg said they are going into a "bit heavier" direction with the new album. I love Grand Tour, but it was very nice and positive - I'd love to hear them explore a little more experimental, proggy and maybe dark territory (again). They did that with The Underfall Yard, and it's still my favorite album by them (and one of my 15 or so favorite albums of all time).
The Difference Machine is also a bit heavier and darker than most of their albums. Wouldn’t mind them revisiting that sound/style again.
You're right!!
That album is very under appreciated in my opinion, probably because David wasn't their singer yet back then. But in my opinion, Sean Filkins has a very similar voice to David. He still might not come close to David in terms of expression, but then again, who does.
I was never a fan of the earlier BBT albums, but The Difference Machine for me is where the band became great. It's also Nick D'Virgilio's first album with the band (apart from two songs). I think, he is sometimes "forgotten" when the band's development is talked about. David is always the one who's inclusion started the new (and best) era of the band, but I think NDV is just as important for that development. His drive, superb sound and virtuose style are a perfect fit for BBT. I hope he never leaves the band.
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What has me hyped up is that Greg said they are going into a "bit heavier" direction with the new album. I love Grand Tour, but it was very nice and positive - I'd love to hear them explore a little more experimental, proggy and maybe dark territory (again). They did that with The Underfall Yard, and it's still my favorite album by them (and one of my 15 or so favorite albums of all time).
The Difference Machine is also a bit heavier and darker than most of their albums. Wouldn’t mind them revisiting that sound/style again.
You're right!!
That album is very under appreciated in my opinion, probably because David wasn't their singer yet back then. But in my opinion, Sean Filkins has a very similar voice to David. He still might not come close to David in terms of expression, but then again, who does.
I was never a fan of the earlier BBT albums, but The Difference Machine for me is where the band became great. It's also Nick D'Virgilio's first album with the band (apart from two songs). I think, he is sometimes "forgotten" when the band's development is talked about. David is always the one who's inclusion started the new (and best) era of the band, but I think NDV is just as important for that development. His drive, superb sound and virtuose style are a perfect fit for BBT. I hope he never leaves the band.
Yep, Nick coming on played a huge role in the band’s evolution from more of a (high level) hobby band to a more professional outfit (and then Dave Gregory taking over guitars on TUY was the other big piece). I do think Steve Hughes was a very good drummer in his own right, but he’s not NDV (no one is!).
I also really like those first three albums, with English Boy Wonders being a personal favorite and I think Gathering Speed is on par with The Difference Machine. The first album is a little shaky production-wise, but for a no-budget debut effort it’s pretty remarkable. I actually really like Martin Read’s voice, even if it isn’t well suited for the type of prog BBT has come to be known for. It was a different band back then, and not on the level of the current lineup, but I think they made some cool music.
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Big Big Train have released a lyric video, directed by Christian Rios, for the 23 minute title track from their re-issued album The Underfall Yard, which will be released on 9th April 2021. The song includes a newly recorded guitar solo by former It Bites leader Francis Dunnery.
“The music of It Bites was a big influence on me back in the day,” bassist Greg Spawton explains. “When we were originally working on the album in 2009, I knew that the title track needed a big guitar solo, so I reached out to Francis to ask if he would contribute a solo. Whilst he was keen to work with BBT, he was going through a stage where he wasn't interested in playing in the fluid, legato style he had mastered with It Bites, so the solo he played for us, whilst great, was different from what I was expecting. Subsequently, Francis has re-connected with the music of It Bites so I thought I would ask if he was prepared to have another run at the solo. He was up for it and has delivered a storming piece of guitar work for this new mix of The Underfall Yard.”
“The Underfall Yard was an important album for BBT and we wanted the re-issue to offer the best possible audio quality,” drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds. “Our sound engineer, Rob Aubrey, has immersed himself in the multi-track recordings and has used all of his considerable skills and experience to deliver a beautiful new mix.”
“Back in 2009 we made what was then a controversial decision to make the whole 23 minute title track available as a free download ahead of the album’s release,” vocalist David Longdon remembers. “Of course, that was before streaming really took off, so it doesn't seem so unusual in retrospect! At the time our decision helped us to get our music heard by a bigger audience, so we thought we would repeat the exercise, but this time with a film to accompany the song.”
“Christian Rios has made a beautiful film for The Underfall Yard,” Greg Spawton continues. “Amongst other things, the song is about Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the great Victorian engineers. Christian wanted Isambard to appear in a specific way in the film and decided there was only one thing for it: he had to don the outfit and cigar himself!”
You can watch the full video for "The Underfall Yard" here:
https://youtu.be/1kcjjs-bkM0
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Another new interview with Greg.
https://circuitsweet.co.uk/2021/02/gavin-brown-takes-on-big-big-train-interview-special/?fbclid=IwAR0kj1lEgBlbey96oTW0R0dp2iqWs8fS37x3mWXUJHAfSD9X2WC9u9XT82k
Highlights:
Confirms the new album is finished and mastered with a summer release but not ready to announce the date yet.
Plan if the July tour dates fall through is to do some sort of live stream instead. He doesn’t sound optimistic that these shows will be played.
Confirmed that the band lost a load of money on the canceled tours and that plus the pandemic essentially lead to Rachel, Danny, and Dave Gregory departing, which is a bummer. Sounds like the band really was on the brink. I’m glad the other four chose to carry on.
Bard is being reissued in a limited run to head off the scalping on eBay but after that it will be deleted and it won’t be available for streaming.
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More cool stuff. The band have launched a new section of the website devoted to the TUY album/reissue. It includes a lengthy interview with Greg part of which was at the time of the original release in 2009 and part of which is updated for the re-issue (it’s hard to follow which parts are which, but there are some references that clue you in).
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/underfall-yard/?fbclid=IwAR1UzttEvh_hqmST0YZpuQOdMl7wIW-4ylTVIH9_2BB_If7cn2GehFBlD10
The story behind Master James of St. George and Victorian Brickwork is one I knew a little about (Greg’s relationship with his estranged father), but cool to see it fleshed out a little here.
Really excited about this re-mix and the bonus material.
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An animated film for "Brew And Burgh" has been released!
https://youtu.be/WsS0Fpo4g9k
It's very beautiful, both the film and the song!
-Marc.
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An animated film for "Brew And Burgh" has been released!
https://youtu.be/WsS0Fpo4g9k
It's very beautiful, both the film and the song!
-Marc.
I’ll give this another listen when the CD comes in. Not sure it will be one of my favorites, but it sounds nice enough. I’m not a huge fan of the approach of compiling lyrical phrases from different songs (I think my least favorite BBT song is The Second Brightest Star), but it may yet end up being a nice cap stone for this reissue.
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An animated film for "Brew And Burgh" has been released!
https://youtu.be/WsS0Fpo4g9k
It's very beautiful, both the film and the song!
-Marc.
I’ll give this another listen when the CD comes in. Not sure it will be one of my favorites, but it sounds nice enough. I’m not a huge fan of the approach of compiling lyrical phrases from different songs (I think my least favorite BBT song is The Second Brightest Star), but it may yet end up being a nice cap stone for this reissue.
I mean if there is one thing I find them guilty of, it's reusing a lot of the same language and words in their songs - hedgerow, shoreline, meadow, anything relating to steam or trains, anything relating to birds or other insects. There are a lot of phrases that reused a lot as well. Maybe it's just their way of writing and creative a sort of cohesive identity between some of their songs. I don't mind that as much, especially if there is a meta-textual connection between these various songs across several albums.
-Marc.
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An animated film for "Brew And Burgh" has been released!
https://youtu.be/WsS0Fpo4g9k
It's very beautiful, both the film and the song!
-Marc.
I’ll give this another listen when the CD comes in. Not sure it will be one of my favorites, but it sounds nice enough. I’m not a huge fan of the approach of compiling lyrical phrases from different songs (I think my least favorite BBT song is The Second Brightest Star), but it may yet end up being a nice cap stone for this reissue.
I mean if there is one thing I find them guilty of, it's reusing a lot of the same language and words in their songs - hedgerow, shoreline, meadow, anything relating to steam or trains, anything relating to birds or other insects. There are a lot of phrases that reused a lot as well. Maybe it's just their way of writing and creative a sort of cohesive identity between some of their songs. I don't mind that as much, especially if there is a meta-textual connection between these various songs across several albums.
-Marc.
This is true. I don’t mind a few repeat themes or phrases here and there. Those are fun and do lend a certain coherence to their different songs and albums. It’s more when you just string those phrases together that it seems a little uninspired I guess. Like a clip episode on a TV show. That said, I’m reserving further judgment until I give the song more listens.
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So this is release day, but I won't be getting the CD for a little while it appears. I took a chance on the band's new US distributor, The Band Wagon USA, but there was a delay in them getting their stock so it hasn't shipped yet. Probably no worse off than if I'd ordered from from Burning Shed though.
New Passenger's Club update today has an all instrumental mix of Brew & Burgh, and I have to say I really enjoyed that more than the version with vocals. Might just be that I gave it a closer listen though. Still waiting until my CD arrives to revisit the album version.
For anyone who hasn't joined The Passenger's Club, there really is a ton of music available for the $50 a year subscription (I think that's about right with the pound to dollar conversion). I've got around 26 tracks that I've downloaded so far, which are mostly demos and early versions, but there are also some totally unreleased tracks that are worth having if you're a completist. They've just in the last month or so released a full set of demos for The Underfall Yard which give a nice view of how that album developed. There are also exclusive videos, photos, and blogs and such to make it worth your while.
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So the TUY reissue was number 1 in the UK rock charts this week!
https://m.facebook.com/#!/bigbigtrain/photos/gm.10158263908338668/3966052776793696/?type=3&source=48
My copy is still held up in customs or something, but the band gave a free Bandcamp download to everyone who ordered from The Bandwagon USA. I checked out the bonus disc yesterday but I’m gonna hold out for the CD to listen to the actual album. Initial thoughts are they didn’t need to touch Victorian Brickwork and I wish Fat Billy were a separate track, but the The Underfall Yard re-recording seems to have some nice added energy that the original lacked in the second half. I also enjoyed Brew & Burgh quite a bit.
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(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/174759974_10102772438408381_182913682506725201_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=ca434c&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=V4FMQXhLdtIAX9KKQSg&tn=xfsTbYvP1iwU7IID&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=1cd8f99891cc160d8c2b7f62d613dd1a&oe=60A1D32B)
My copy arrived yesterday! Gonna rip it and give it a spin this weekend. I haven't been in a BBT mood since last year (as I've been locked into Transatlantic/LTE mode for a couple months now), but this will surely bring me back to BBT.
-Marc.
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(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/174759974_10102772438408381_182913682506725201_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=ca434c&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=V4FMQXhLdtIAX9KKQSg&tn=xfsTbYvP1iwU7IID&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=1cd8f99891cc160d8c2b7f62d613dd1a&oe=60A1D32B)
My copy arrived yesterday! Gonna rip it and give it a spin this weekend. I haven't been in a BBT mood since last year (as I've been locked into Transatlantic/LTE mode for a couple months now), but this will surely bring me back to BBT.
-Marc.
Marc, you are a legit BBT fanboy :lol
Looking forward to hearing your opinion about the new version!
I'm still waiting on my 3x12". Vinyl has been postponed to the end of April (well, who wasn't expecting that, after it was originally to be release sometime in 2019...).
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(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/174759974_10102772438408381_182913682506725201_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=ca434c&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=V4FMQXhLdtIAX9KKQSg&tn=xfsTbYvP1iwU7IID&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&tp=14&oh=1cd8f99891cc160d8c2b7f62d613dd1a&oe=60A1D32B)
My copy arrived yesterday! Gonna rip it and give it a spin this weekend. I haven't been in a BBT mood since last year (as I've been locked into Transatlantic/LTE mode for a couple months now), but this will surely bring me back to BBT.
-Marc.
Marc, you are a legit BBT fanboy :lol
Looking forward to hearing your opinion about the new version!
I'm still waiting on my 3x12". Vinyl has been postponed to the end of April (well, who wasn't expecting that, after it was originally to be release sometime in 2019...).
Yeaaaah, when I fell for BBT, I fell hard, but thankfully I discovered them at a time where I could easily order their back catalog and not pay insane prices on the secondary market for some of them. I've got pretty much everything but Bard and the pre-debut demo albums (which were always insanely expensive), but Bard should be getting a re-issue at some point last I heard.
Also, I just ordered the last available copy of the Japanese SHMCD version of The Underfall Yard from CDJapan. After seeing some folks post theirs with Summer's Lease and the Japanese version of Grand Tour, I felt compelled to get it. It also comes with 2 bonus tracks as well so it'll be worth it IMO.
I'll shall be diving into the remix/remaster later today and I'll be sure to post my thoughts after a spin or two.
-Marc.
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I'm kind of glad mine was delayed, because LTE 3 just came in yesterday so I'm not getting my attention divided between two new releases.
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https://youtu.be/eqkPY27lZVM
So between my CD Rip, Bandcamp, and the above YouTube link, at around 8:45-9:15 in the song, I hear some static noise, mostly prevalent during the horn solo. Folks in the BBT FB group have told me they don't hear it but that I may also have better hearing than they do.
Does anyone else hear noise during that part, as well as during the endnof VB into the beginning of FBSM, mostly echoing off the opening piano part around 12:34.
I hope I'm not going crazy here!
-Marc.
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I hear the hiss you say but I can hear all the way to the 12 min mark when the acoustic/quiet part comes in. Die to the length, I want to believe it was intentional, maybe a weird keyboard sample or some weird instrument that David threw in there.
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I’m hearing a faint vibrating or static noise with one of the brass instruments in that section. What I think it might be is some other object in the room resonating with the horns and the mic picking it up. Not sure I would notice it without headphones (or without looking out for it).
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I’m hearing a faint vibrating or static noise with one of the brass instruments in that section. What I think it might be is some other object in the room resonating with the horns and the mic picking it up. Not sure I would notice it without headphones (or without looking out for it).
What's weird is that I've heard it from my cell phone speakers, not headphones or a sound system (home, TV, or car). It's the only blemish on an otherwise flawless record.
-Marc.
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Title track from the new album just dropped by the band on Spotify (feels weird to say that about BBT!).
Common Ground:
https://open.spotify.com/track/61M6By1M6KLuSczxeVec5v?si=rtxRhOzaSdGaeogzN8A0XA&fbclid=IwAR224_DUBRh8ssflkhb8usPmtf8YdV66DpvzL7vMSSCN1C2PAFeHgbyDIxY&nd=1
Announcement about the new album appears to be coming tomorrow morning (Friday).
Edit: July 30 release date!
First thoughts: I like the sound of this, the instrumentation is nice (wonder who’s playing violin). Vocal harmonies are great. Was trying to think what the chorus made me think of, and it’s Seal’s Kiss From a Rose, LOL!
-
https://youtu.be/B1aglun-rx8
YouTube link for those without Spotify.
-Marc.
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Pre-orders are up at Burning Shed.
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain
The album’s nine pieces include the beautiful title track - and first single - Common Ground, the dazzling instrumental Apollo, the zeitgeist capturing The Strangest Times, and the stunning 15 minute epic Atlantic Cable.
In addition to BBT songwriters and core members David Longdon (lead vocals), Gregory Spawton (bass), Rikard Sjöblom (guitars, keyboards, vocals) and Nick D’Virgilio (drums, vocals), the album also features Carly Bryant (keyboards, vocals) and Dave Foster (guitars) plus a guest appearance from violinist Aidan O’Rourke of Scottish Folk pioneers Lau.
The album was recorded during 2020 at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios as well as in other studios in the UK, the USA and Sweden.
1. The Strangest Times
2. All The Love We Can Give
3. Black With Ink
4. Dandelion Clock
5. Headwaters
6. Apollo
7. Common Ground
8. Atlantic Cable
9. Endnotes
Also, here is the proper promo video for the single!
https://youtu.be/wIQnhCcI4gA
Already pre-ordered the CD! Cannot wait to get this one. Grand Tour was one of my absolute favorite albums of 2019, and BBT never disappoint, so Common Ground is sure to be one of my favorites of 2021, even after a year that includes new Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Frost*.
-Marc.
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New album page on the BBT website with lots of info and a blog entry from David here:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/?fbclid=IwAR2K1hA7d06y_9G7oRNl8RHHtUpaoEyDz3GCOurFRIi4hktmsB5rtdGBbis
I like the sound of this:
Common Ground finds the band taking in wider musical and lyrical inspiration from artists such as Elbow, Pete Townshend, Tears For Fears, Elton John and XTC, as well as acknowledging their more progressive roots
XTC came to mind a bit on the verses of the title track. This is also interesting:
Common Ground (the album) was recorded in most extraordinary times. We decided to make the album based principally around our new four piece status. The slimming down of the line up had presented us with an opportunity of trying out some different ideas and reinventing ourselves. Nick has written some music for the album and Rikard has taken on the lion’s share of keyboard and guitar duties throughout. I too have played acoustic guitars and keyboards on the album.
I don't hear a huge shift in sound or style on the title track, but I do like the idea of them streamlining things a bit with fewer cooks in the kitchen so to speak.
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Very cool. I really enjoyed Grand Tour after being a bit burnt out with them with the entire Folklore/Grimspound/Second Brightest Star trilogy so I'm hoping this one maintains my high interest level.
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Very cool. I really enjoyed Grand Tour after being a bit burnt out with them with the entire Folklore/Grimspound/Second Brightest Star trilogy so I'm hoping this one maintains my high interest level.
I don't dislike any of those three releases (in fact I love most of Folklore and Grimpsoud), but I do think there is an amazing double album that you could compile from those three if you dropped some of the lesser material.
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1. The Strangest Times 5:07
2. All The Love We Can Give 8:05
3. Black With Ink 7:23
4. Dandelion Clock 4:14
5. Headwaters 2:26
6. Apollo 7:50
7. Common Ground 4:53
8. Atlantic Cable 15:06
9. Endnotes 6:48
10. Downstream 3:15 *
Track times from the Japanese release from Belle Antique, which includes the obligatory bonus track!
http://worlddisque.blog42.fc2.com/blog-entry-3383.html
The album proper is 61:52 (and 65:07 for the Japanese edition), which is a bit shorter than Grand Tour, though the songs all seem to be shorter this time around. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
-Marc.
-
1. The Strangest Times 5:07
2. All The Love We Can Give 8:05
3. Black With Ink 7:23
4. Dandelion Clock 4:14
5. Headwaters 2:26
6. Apollo 7:50
7. Common Ground 4:53
8. Atlantic Cable 15:06
9. Endnotes 6:48
10. Downstream 3:15 *
Track times from the Japanese release from Belle Antique, which includes the obligatory bonus track!
http://worlddisque.blog42.fc2.com/blog-entry-3383.html
The album proper is 61:52 (and 65:07 for the Japanese edition), which is a bit shorter than Grand Tour, though the songs all seem to be shorter this time around. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
-Marc.
I wonder if there is another BBT track as short as Headwaters. I guess Edgelands might be around that length.
Edit: Edgelands is only 1:25.
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Hmm.
First single a bit average maybe? Sounds like it comes from the Folklore era.
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Hmm.
First single a bit average maybe? Sounds like it comes from the Folklore era.
Yeah, it’s nothing earth shattering or all the at different from the sound of the last few albums. Will be interesting to see how much different the rest of it sounds since they seem to be suggesting there’s somewhat of a new direction with just a four piece.
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Very cool blog post that includes a bunch of clips of the band recording a 15 minute epic called “Atlantic Cable.” You have to scroll down to the blog section, but it’s worth it.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/?fbclid=IwAR0H90IV-agloYUQO169RGheUuS6KLQ7dSSC14j8hrN_hEyCFtmSWXHuUmo#blogs
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Very cool blog post that includes a bunch of clips of the band recording a 15 minute epic called “Atlantic Cable.” You have to scroll down to the blog section, but it’s worth it.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/?fbclid=IwAR0H90IV-agloYUQO169RGheUuS6KLQ7dSSC14j8hrN_hEyCFtmSWXHuUmo#blogs
Ah wow some great clips from behind the scenes! It's a bit humbling and funny to see Nick kind of struggle with figuring out drum parts, and playfully cursing out Greg for writing such complicated music! :lol
Gotta say, though, that overture sounds really good, and I love the key lead that Rikard was putting down.
I also appreciate that Greg says that 15-minute songs are good lengths for telling stories, and I have to agree some of their best songs are in that 12-15 minute range, and I find myself liking songs around that length from most bands.
Just ten more weeks til the new album!
-Marc.
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Very cool blog post that includes a bunch of clips of the band recording a 15 minute epic called “Atlantic Cable.” You have to scroll down to the blog section, but it’s worth it.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/?fbclid=IwAR0H90IV-agloYUQO169RGheUuS6KLQ7dSSC14j8hrN_hEyCFtmSWXHuUmo#blogs
Ah wow some great clips from behind the scenes! It's a but humbling and funny to see Nick kind of struggle with figuring out drum parts, and playfully cursing out Greg for writing such complicated music! :lol
Gotta say, though, that overture sounds really good, and I love the key lead that Rikard was putting down.
I also appreciate that Greg says that 15-minute songs are good lengths for telling stories, and I have to agree
Some of their best songs are in that 12-15 minute range, and I find myself liking songs around that length from most bands.
Just ten more weeks til the new album!
-Marc.
Yeah, the song sounds amazing. Maybe a tad bit like Transatlantic even (given the subject matter it would be appropriate!) but it's everything you look for from these guys.
Here is just the Vimeo clip of Nick playing:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/548327685
Greg's clip:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/548349634
Dave Foster laying down a solo:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/548340906
There's more in there and people should read the whole blog, but those are the most exciting to me.
-
In today's Common Ground blog post, Rikard talks about how he came up with the piece "Headwaters".
-Marc.
-
Last week's clip with Nick developing one of his tracks was also fun. This is a cool way to hype the new album.
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Last week's clip with Nick developing one of his tracks was also fun. This is a cool way to hype the new album.
I saw that, very great video! And yes, getting these weekly blog updates for each successive song has been a treat, and a fairly unique way to build hype for the album up to its release date. I also like that each blog has been slightly different each time. Some have had long written paragraphs, others include some video, or like this week's update, is JUST a video, with what I assume to be a full performance of the album track by Rikard.
Waiting for this album for the next eight weeks will be a bit excruciating, but I'm sure these blog updates will tide me over for the time being.
-Marc.
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https://youtu.be/88HHhbD1vFE
New video for the instrumental song "Apollo". I didn't expect an 8-minute instrumental piece in the middle of the album, but I like it so far! I probably won't listen to it too much so the whole album stays fresh for me when it comes out in seven weeks.
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/88HHhbD1vFE
New video for the instrumental song "Apollo". I didn't expect an 8-minute instrumental piece in the middle of the album, but I like it so far! I probably won't listen to it too much so the whole album stays fresh for me when it comes out in seven weeks.
-Marc.
From press release:
"Apollo" is the second track to be taken from Big Big Train’s forthcoming album ‘Common Ground’ due out on July 30th, 2021 on English Electric Recordings. The new album, recorded during the worldwide pandemic, sees the band continue their tradition of dramatic narratives but also tackles issues much closer to home, such as the Covid lockdowns, the separation of loved ones, the passage of time, deaths of people close to the band and the hope that springs from a new love.
"Apollo" is a seven-minute plus instrumental written by Big Big Train drummer Nick D’Virgilio and will be an undoubted highlight when the band tour in 2022. "When the time came to start coming up with ideas for the next BBT album, I felt very strongly that we should include a quintessential instrumental track. I wanted to write the band’s version of Genesis’s Los Endos and to make a track that really showed off the talent of all the amazing musicians in this band. I knew that the team could totally play anything I threw at them, and boy, did they prove me right! I thought about the unique instrumentation of BBT. We have so many wonderful ‘voices’ to play with and I wanted every one of them in this song. In the big end bit, I can totally envisage the crowd with their hands in the air going back n forth, all of the lights and haze on the stage, the band just absolutely slamming, the crowd singing along with the melody the BBT brass ensemble is playing, until we reach a glorious end.”
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Not gonna listen, but I read in my Progrock Facebook group that it's actually pretty proggy and with a lot of tempo as opposed to the more mellow and slower Grand Tour - which is a big reasons for me to get excited!! Do you guys feel the same about the song as the guys from that group?
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Not gonna listen, but I read in my Progrock Facebook group that it's actually pretty proggy and with a lot of tempo as opposed to the more mellow and slower Grand Tour - which is a big reasons for me to get excited!! Do you guys feel the same about the song as the guys from that group?
Apollo specifically or the album as a whole?
Loved Apollo on first listen just now. It does have some nice tempo and changes, but also some really nice soaring themes. Very much a classic prog instrumental, but also very uniquely BBT. Nick knocked this one out of the park.
-
https://youtu.be/88HHhbD1vFE
New video for the instrumental song "Apollo". I didn't expect an 8-minute instrumental piece in the middle of the album, but I like it so far! I probably won't listen to it too much so the whole album stays fresh for me when it comes out in seven weeks.
-Marc.
I guess that’s two instrumental tracks at least. I’ll hold off on listening again probably as well, but I really enjoyed this one (more than the title track for sure). It’s kind of got everything I love about prog.
Also a nice short clip of Greg tracking bass for this up at The Passengers Club this morning.
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Not gonna listen, but I read in my Progrock Facebook group that it's actually pretty proggy and with a lot of tempo as opposed to the more mellow and slower Grand Tour - which is a big reasons for me to get excited!! Do you guys feel the same about the song as the guys from that group?
Apollo specifically or the album as a whole?
Loved Apollo on first listen just now. It does have some nice tempo and changes, but also some really nice soaring themes. Very much a classic prog instrumental, but also very uniquely BBT. Nick knocked this one out of the park.
Just the song!
https://youtu.be/88HHhbD1vFE
New video for the instrumental song "Apollo". I didn't expect an 8-minute instrumental piece in the middle of the album, but I like it so far! I probably won't listen to it too much so the whole album stays fresh for me when it comes out in seven weeks.
-Marc.
I guess that’s two instrumental tracks at least. I’ll hold off on listening again probably as well, but I really enjoyed this one (more than the title track for sure). It’s kind of got everything I love about prog.
Great to hear!
Where did you read that there is another instrumental on the album?
-
Not gonna listen, but I read in my Progrock Facebook group that it's actually pretty proggy and with a lot of tempo as opposed to the more mellow and slower Grand Tour - which is a big reasons for me to get excited!! Do you guys feel the same about the song as the guys from that group?
Apollo specifically or the album as a whole?
Loved Apollo on first listen just now. It does have some nice tempo and changes, but also some really nice soaring themes. Very much a classic prog instrumental, but also very uniquely BBT. Nick knocked this one out of the park.
Just the song!
https://youtu.be/88HHhbD1vFE
New video for the instrumental song "Apollo". I didn't expect an 8-minute instrumental piece in the middle of the album, but I like it so far! I probably won't listen to it too much so the whole album stays fresh for me when it comes out in seven weeks.
-Marc.
I guess that’s two instrumental tracks at least. I’ll hold off on listening again probably as well, but I really enjoyed this one (more than the title track for sure). It’s kind of got everything I love about prog.
Great to hear!
Where did you read that there is another instrumental on the album?
Last week there was a video blog with Rikard playing a short piano piece titled Headwaters, which is kind of a transitional instrumental (a bit like Edgelands or London Stone).
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There’s also a new blog entry for Apollo with a little more explanation about the creation of the track from Nick, as well as a short video of Nick practicing and recording some of the drum parts:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
You have to scroll way down to get to the blog section of that page. Can’t link directly unfortunately.
-
There’s also a new blog entry for Apollo with a little more explanation about the creation of the track from Nick, as well as a short video of Nick practicing and recording some of the drum parts:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
You have to scroll way down to get to the blog section of that page. Can’t link directly unfortunately.
Didnt get around to read those blogs until now. Thanks for the reminder HOF ;)
Atlantic Cable also seems to be quite fast and proggy. I love their slower songs as well (Ariel and Voyager are glorious), but I've been wanting to hear some 11/8 instrumental shredding like on Underfall again ;)
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There’s also a new blog entry for Apollo with a little more explanation about the creation of the track from Nick, as well as a short video of Nick practicing and recording some of the drum parts:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
You have to scroll way down to get to the blog section of that page. Can’t link directly unfortunately.
Didnt get around to read those blogs until now. Thanks for the reminder HOF ;)
Atlantic Cable also seems to be quite fast and proggy. I love their slower songs as well (Ariel and Voyager are glorious), but I've been wanting to hear some 11/8 instrumental shredding like on Underfall again ;)
Voyager has that more uptempo middle section, as did Roman Stone (I love the section where Nick goes off underneath the brass). They haven't really done many songs quite as intense as that first portion of TUY though.
-
There’s also a new blog entry for Apollo with a little more explanation about the creation of the track from Nick, as well as a short video of Nick practicing and recording some of the drum parts:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
You have to scroll way down to get to the blog section of that page. Can’t link directly unfortunately.
Didnt get around to read those blogs until now. Thanks for the reminder HOF ;)
Atlantic Cable also seems to be quite fast and proggy. I love their slower songs as well (Ariel and Voyager are glorious), but I've been wanting to hear some 11/8 instrumental shredding like on Underfall again ;)
Voyager has that more uptempo middle section, as did Roman Stone (I love the section where Nick goes off underneath the brass). They haven't really done many songs quite as intense as that first portion of TUY though.
You're right, they still do that, I'd just like to hear more of it ;)
Since you mentioned Roman Stone: isn't NDV fucking amazing? The things he plays during that brass-section are just insane. He amazes me every time, because he plays that stuff with such ease.
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There’s also a new blog entry for Apollo with a little more explanation about the creation of the track from Nick, as well as a short video of Nick practicing and recording some of the drum parts:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
You have to scroll way down to get to the blog section of that page. Can’t link directly unfortunately.
Didnt get around to read those blogs until now. Thanks for the reminder HOF ;)
Atlantic Cable also seems to be quite fast and proggy. I love their slower songs as well (Ariel and Voyager are glorious), but I've been wanting to hear some 11/8 instrumental shredding like on Underfall again ;)
Voyager has that more uptempo middle section, as did Roman Stone (I love the section where Nick goes off underneath the brass). They haven't really done many songs quite as intense as that first portion of TUY though.
You're right, they still do that, I'd just like to hear more of it ;)
Since you mentioned Roman Stone: isn't NDV fucking amazing? The things he plays during that brass-section are just insane. He amazes me every time, because he plays that stuff with such ease.
I love that section. He’s so great. I love to watch the demo videos he does for Sweetwater just to see all the grooves he comes up with. So much fun to see him play. He’s become a top 3 drummer for me, maybe only behind NP for my favorite drummer at this point.
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The Pantheon instrumental on Grand Tour is pretty amazing, this one just doesn't have the same impact, and I found myself rather bored by it. No offence to either Rikard Sjoblom or Dave Foster, but this really misses Dave Gregory's signature guitar sound.
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New Greg Spawton interview on The Prog Report. Talks a lot about the new album. The big takeaway is that the first half apparently sounds very different from previous BBT material, while the side 2 is closer to BBT's traditional sound. Roie is very glowing about it, calling it their strongest album since English Electric.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/greg-spawton-inteview-common-ground/id778246137?i=1000525610233
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I didn't notice until now that the lengths were posted on here some time ago. Honestly I'm kind of relieved the album is a touch shorter than their recent fare, but still enough of a full-length album to feel like a proper event in listening to it.
Reading the blogs and listening to new interviews and stuff and I'm starting to look forward to it. When the album was announced I was like "Ehh..." wasn't sure if I'd be up for it. But 30 July is still 6 weeks away from now when I'm writing this, so there's tons of time for the anticipation to build up. That and the fact I haven't been on a BBT kick for a little while so hopefully it'll be fresh again.
-
New Greg Spawton interview on The Prog Report. Talks a lot about the new album. The big takeaway is that the first half apparently sounds very different from previous BBT material, while the side 2 is closer to BBT's traditional sound. Roie is very glowing about it, calling it their strongest album since English Electric.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/greg-spawton-inteview-common-ground/id778246137?i=1000525610233
Looking forward to listening to this tonight after a long day of studying!
Could you guys tell me if there is any new music by BBT in this podcast? I don't wanna hear a single note from this album before being able to hear the whole thing so I don't want any spoilers ;)
-
Looking forward to listening to this tonight after a long day of studying!
Could you guys tell me if there is any new music by BBT in this podcast? I don't wanna hear a single note from this album before being able to hear the whole thing so I don't want any spoilers ;)
Right at the beginning there's a clip from Apollo. 0:00-0:25 and 0:55-1:06, then the podcast ends with a full playthrough of Common Ground from 35:30.
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Looking forward to listening to this tonight after a long day of studying!
Could you guys tell me if there is any new music by BBT in this podcast? I don't wanna hear a single note from this album before being able to hear the whole thing so I don't want any spoilers ;)
Right at the beginning there's a clip from Apollo. 0:00-0:25 and 0:55-1:06, then the podcast ends with a full playthrough of Common Ground from 35:30.
Thank you :metal
-
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
A new Common Ground blog post from Greg has been posted, this time discussing the history of the track "Black With Ink".
-Marc.
-
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
A new Common Ground blog post from Greg has been posted, this time discussing the history of the track "Black With Ink".
-Marc.
Love the clip of Greg laying down the bass for this. Also interesting that Nick, Rikard, and Carly all have a lead vocal on this track. Nick also has a lead vocal part on All the Love You Can Give, so it will be interesting to hear the vocal duties spread around a bit more on this album.
Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
-
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
A new Common Ground blog post from Greg has been posted, this time discussing the history of the track "Black With Ink".
-Marc.
Love the clip of Greg laying down the bass for this. Also interesting that Nick, Rikard, and Carly all have a lead vocal on this track. Nick also has a lead vocal part on All the Love You Can Give, so it will be interesting to hear the vocal duties spread around a bit more on this album.
Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
Could you post a link to this review please? I can't find it :-[
-
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
A new Common Ground blog post from Greg has been posted, this time discussing the history of the track "Black With Ink".
-Marc.
Love the clip of Greg laying down the bass for this. Also interesting that Nick, Rikard, and Carly all have a lead vocal on this track. Nick also has a lead vocal part on All the Love You Can Give, so it will be interesting to hear the vocal duties spread around a bit more on this album.
Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
Could you post a link to this review please? I can't find it :-[
A bit of googling "Pete Pardo Big Big Train Common Ground" brought up this, posted two days ago:
https://youtu.be/_157MmFO__0
-Marc.
-
Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
Could you post a link to this review please? I can't find it :-[
Here it is!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_157MmFO__0
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Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
Could you post a link to this review please? I can't find it :-[
Here it is!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_157MmFO__0
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
A new Common Ground blog post from Greg has been posted, this time discussing the history of the track "Black With Ink".
-Marc.
Love the clip of Greg laying down the bass for this. Also interesting that Nick, Rikard, and Carly all have a lead vocal on this track. Nick also has a lead vocal part on All the Love You Can Give, so it will be interesting to hear the vocal duties spread around a bit more on this album.
Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
Could you post a link to this review please? I can't find it :-[
A bit of googling "Pete Pardo Big Big Train Common Ground" brought up this, posted two days ago:
https://youtu.be/_157MmFO__0
-Marc.
Ninja'd ;)
-Marc.
-
Bah, didn’t check the last page!
-
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/common-ground/
A new Common Ground blog post from Greg has been posted, this time discussing the history of the track "Black With Ink".
-Marc.
Love the clip of Greg laying down the bass for this. Also interesting that Nick, Rikard, and Carly all have a lead vocal on this track. Nick also has a lead vocal part on All the Love You Can Give, so it will be interesting to hear the vocal duties spread around a bit more on this album.
Pete Pardo did a nice review of the new album on Sea of Tranquility. Mild spoilers maybe if you're trying to stay away from that sort of thing, but his description of the album really has me really excited.
Could you post a link to this review please? I can't find it :-[
A bit of googling "Pete Pardo Big Big Train Common Ground" brought up this, posted two days ago:
https://youtu.be/_157MmFO__0
-Marc.
I put Commong Ground Pete Bardo Sea Of Tranquility and nothing came up :lol
Anyway, thank you guys! I'll check it out later today ;)
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This band creates music that is next level beautiful and lush. And they do it consistently. They're amazingly gifted.
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This band creates music that is next level beautiful and lush. And they do it consistently. They're amazingly gifted.
Absolutely. I can sort of understand why it’s not some people’s cup of tea, but what they do they do so darn well. I know not being able to tour last year as planned almost sunk the group, but selfishly I’m so happy they got to make another album instead. It’s always a blast to get new BBT music.
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This band creates music that is next level beautiful and lush. And they do it consistently. They're amazingly gifted.
Absolutely. I can sort of understand why it’s not some people’s cup of tea, but what they do they do so darn well. I know not being able to tour last year as planned almost sunk the group, but selfishly I’m so happy they got to make another album instead. It’s always a blast to get new BBT music.
If BBT would break up right now, I'd be genuinely depressed. One of my favorite acts of the last years!
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A bunch of interviews coming out right now, but I enjoyed this zoom chat with Greg Spawton (despite some lag in the audio). Mentions that they are already writing new material and have a lot planned for the next year in addition to the tours.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GTitWj3mS2I&fbclid=IwAR0wRgfG_PF6UzXMhhxtDJQSthZas2n5wyvAqV05y8CJGaOIRyjxw5QC7nE
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In case anyone missed it, Prog magazine is offering another special bundle for Common Ground featuring an exclusive cover, and two signed prints. They did something similar for Grand Tour two years ago, and so I had to pick this one up. Hopefully it doesn't arrive totally bent up like the last one did.
https://www.magazinesdirect.com/mobile/az-magazines/48946466/prog-issue-121-big-big-train-common-ground-bundle.thtml?j=BKZ&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=Awin&utm_campaign=TechRadar&utm_content=103504&awc=2961_1625246468_969e8d897f05e12d4a11221e002b207b
-Marc.
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Big Big Train release new single "The Strangest Times"
Watch the video for "The Strangest Times" here:
https://youtu.be/i35_HcKjR18
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Big Big Train release new single "The Strangest Times"
Watch the video for "The Strangest Times" here:
https://youtu.be/i35_HcKjR18
A very unique song, an anthem for 2020/the pandemic, for sure. I like the oddly upbeat nature of the song, and I enjoyed them showing off pics of the new members of the band during the bridge.
Only 2.5 more weeks until the album comes out!
-Marc.
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Big Big Train release new single "The Strangest Times"
Watch the video for "The Strangest Times" here:
https://youtu.be/i35_HcKjR18
So I really like the song musically, especially the guitar solos. The lyrics are a bit of my worst fear in terms of bands writing songs about Covid that are a bit too on the nose and at this point already sort of cliche. Especially when you start trying to cram phrases like “social distanced” into a song. One other mild complaint is this is the second DL song on the album that copies a rather distinct melody from another pop song. Common Ground’s chorus has a bit of Seal’s Kiss from a Rose and this has a bit of Joe Jackson’s Stepping Out in the chorus (the second “these are the strangest times” has the same descending line as “get into a car and drive”).
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, I do think this will be a bit of an ear worm and a nice opening track. And of course it all sounds really great as everything from BBT does. I wonder if that’s Rikard or Dave Foster on the guitar solos.
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Big Big Train release new single "The Strangest Times"
Watch the video for "The Strangest Times" here:
https://youtu.be/i35_HcKjR18
So I really like the song musically, especially the guitar solos. The lyrics are a bit of my worst fear in terms of bands writing songs about Covid that are a bit too on the nose and at this point already sort of cliche. Especially when you start trying to cram phrases like “social distanced” into a song. One other mild complaint is this is the second DL song on the album that copies a rather distinct melody from another pop song. Common Ground’s chorus has a bit of Seal’s Kiss from a Rose and this has a bit of Joe Jackson’s Stepping Out in the chorus (the second “these are the strangest times” has the same descending line as “get into a car and drive”).
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, I do think this will be a bit of an ear worm and a nice opening track. And of course it all sounds really great everything from BBT does. I wonder if that’s Rikard or Dave Foster on the guitar solos.
It set off my covid anxiety, couldn't listen to it.
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Got my shipping notification from Band Wagon USA today! Estimated delivery time of 3 days, so there’s a good chance it gets here before next Friday, though I won’t hold my breath with the USPS right now. Really excited after seeing Greg’s blog post and watching the video clips of Endnotes.
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Got my shipping notification from Band Wagon USA today! Estimated delivery time of 3 days, so there’s a good chance it gets here before next Friday, though I won’t hold my breath with the USPS right now. Really excited after seeing Greg’s blog post and watching the video clips of Endnotes.
I got my emails from Rita as well, but my shipping label has only been created, according to USPS, and hasn't been actually sent to the post office yet. Hopefully I get it in the early half of the week.
I got my PROG Magazine Common Ground bundle last week, and unlike my Grand Tour bundle (which was shipped in a plastic bag-like envelope), this was shipped in a cardboard mailer, so the magazine and signed art prints were in fairly pristine condition.
-Marc.
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Got my shipping notification from Band Wagon USA today! Estimated delivery time of 3 days, so there’s a good chance it gets here before next Friday, though I won’t hold my breath with the USPS right now. Really excited after seeing Greg’s blog post and watching the video clips of Endnotes.
I got my emails from Rita as well, but my shipping label has only been created, according to USPS, and hasn't been actually sent to the post office yet. Hopefully I get it in the early half of the week.
I got my PROG Magazine Common Ground bundle last week, and unlike my Grand Tour bundle (which was shipped in a plastic bag-like envelope), this was shipped in a cardboard mailer, so the magazine and signed art prints were in fairly pristine condition.
-Marc.
-Marc.
Her earlier email mentioned they would be packing orders for pickup no later than Sunday, so I assume they’ll be dropped off by then or Monday morning and best case they start to get delivered Thursday, but maybe they’ll drop them off tomorrow.
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Ooh, current tracking info gives a Wednesday delivery estimate (it’s been received by the USPS). Still guessing Thursday, but that will do.
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Ooh, current tracking info gives a Wednesday delivery estimate (it’s been received by the USPS). Still guessing Thursday, but that will do.
My current estimate says Thursday for me as it has to travel from OH to MD, but it might change depending on how fast/far it travels over the weekend.
-Marc.
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Nick with a drum play through video of Apollo:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3if1CRZF1gFt_ez5AtG48gn-Dflb39OPftBhB5Tv4D620KPbqS9o67FT8&v=AGAJqitWdlw&feature=youtu.be
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Got shipping notification from Burning Shed for the blue vinyl. :corn
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Nick with a drum play through video of Apollo:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3if1CRZF1gFt_ez5AtG48gn-Dflb39OPftBhB5Tv4D620KPbqS9o67FT8&v=AGAJqitWdlw&feature=youtu.be
Just watched that, and NDV never disappoints! His style and groove are simply breathtaking!
I also keep checking my shipping tracking number hoping it reaches my hometown post office tonight so it can arrive tomorrow! It's only 3 hours away from me right now in DC, so it can't be much longer!
-Marc.
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Nick with a drum play through video of Apollo:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3if1CRZF1gFt_ez5AtG48gn-Dflb39OPftBhB5Tv4D620KPbqS9o67FT8&v=AGAJqitWdlw&feature=youtu.be
Just watched that, and NDV never disappoints! His style and groove are simply breathtaking!
I also keep checking my shipping tracking number hoping it reaches my hometown post office tonight so it can arrive tomorrow! It's only 3 hours away from me right now in DC, so it can't be much longer!
-Marc.
Mine is in town but not scheduled to be delivered before Wednesday. Guessing the delivery estimate may not have been updated yet.
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It came this morning! Listening now!
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It came this morning! Listening now!
Mine just arrived in my mailbox as well!! Cannot wait to open it up and give it a listen!
-Marc.
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Nick with a drum play through video of Apollo:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3if1CRZF1gFt_ez5AtG48gn-Dflb39OPftBhB5Tv4D620KPbqS9o67FT8&v=AGAJqitWdlw&feature=youtu.be
Nick's playing impresses me so much. I like how he rearranges his kit every so often, as it's an amazing way to help reinvigorate your playing.
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After two and a half spins, I have decided that I really like this one. It's certainly a bit different than anything they've done before, with some new and unique musical passages, a bit more Nick on lead vocals than I expected, and some really good instrumental passages throughout. David's vocals have also really expanded in range quite a bit on this one, and I think having four main writers on the album really helped them expand their sound palette a bit, giving this album a fresh feel.
Early stand out tracks for me are "Atlantic Cable", "Endnotes", "Apollo" and "Black With Ink". If I had to pick any weak tracks, it might be the opener, but after three listens, it's starting to grow on me.
Here are some obligatory updated collection pics!
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/225457322_10102866636349951_8361754636225066793_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=110474&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=o-TnV8CA3OcAX8JwrWx&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=cc56664e6cdfe8ec1fd1b995c4fa660d&oe=6124FB5B)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/221660499_10102866636295061_2003793751105324424_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=110474&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=b2HdgqgRq0kAX_e8UM1&tn=NxOtTxdiZxPkzHAL&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=6faab9fc6746dba7a176e0d96c3a753e&oe=6125EC86)
-Marc.
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Mostly I’m not feeling All the Love You Can Give, but I’m also having a hard time latching on to much about Black With Ink (really cool keyboard solo though) and Dandelion Clock. The first half is going to take some repeated listens I think. Everything from Headwaters on is pretty amazing. Atlantic Cable will need some digesting, but there were some goosebump moments there for sure. Endnotes too. I think Apollo is still my favorite track, but it’s very early. I also am really liking The Strangest Times the more I hear it.
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For those in the US, LaserCD has the vinyl and CD version in stock
https://www.lasercd.com/search_results?f[0]=cp_artist1:436
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Mostly I’m not feeling All the Love You Can Give, but I’m also having a hard time latching on to much about Black With Ink (really cool keyboard solo though) and Dandelion Clock. The first half is going to take some repeated listens I think. Everything from Headwaters on is pretty amazing. Atlantic Cable will need some digesting, but there were some goosebump moments there for sure. Endnotes too. I think Apollo is still my favorite track, but it’s very early. I also am really liking The Strangest Times the more I hear it.
After a few more listens, I tend to agree that the first half is a bit weaker than the second, but I've definitely warmed up to those first four songs a bit more. It's just that the second half is REALLY good.
I'm also loving "Apollo" more and more, and being the third in a line of instrumentals written by NDV, I wonder if he will keep bringing in those ideas with every new BBT session. I really enjoyed "Pantheon" and "Don't Forget The Telescope" so I hope he'll continue to write more instrumentals in the future!
-Marc.
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I'm also loving "Apollo" more and more, and being the third in a line of instrumentals written by NDV, I wonder if he will keep bringing in those ideas with every new BBT session. I really enjoyed "Pantheon" and "Don't Forget The Telescope" so I hope he'll continue to write more instrumentals in the future!
-Marc.
Yeah, Nick’s instrumental contributions have been brilliant, and he also was a driving force (pun partially intended) behind On the Racing Line. I worry a bit more about his lyrical contributions. He’s written some songs I really love in the past, but a lot of Invisible fell flat for me, and ATLWCG feels similar to the songs on that album.
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A few more spins in and it's growing even more for me, definitely enjoying this one about as much as Grand Tour, but it has a different feel to it. The writing feels a bit less mystical and mythological, a bit more straight-forward in parts, but still positive and uplifting, and a bit adventurous in feeling to match some of the lyrical content. While not a narrative concept album, I am definitely beginning to piece together and understand the thematic concept throughout the songs, about shared connections and what brings people together, as well as what separates them.
I've noticed that the term "common ground" pops up in other songs outside of the title track. It first appears at the end of "Black With Ink", then in the title track, and finally at the end of "Atlantic Cable". I wonder if the lyrics informed the album title or if it was purely coincidence that three of the songs featured the album title within the lyrics?
Either way, I am greatly enjoying this one, and it'll probably remain in my listening rotation for the next month or so, at least until the new NMB album drops at the end of August!
-Marc.
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"Common ground" also appears in Theodora in Green and Gold off the previous album.
Listening now for the first time. The "chorus" (?) of Black With Ink is an amazing chord progression, I've never heard that sort of modulation into B minor before. Also nice to hear the other singers a bit more. In the past, BBT has somewhat under-utilized the fact that they have at least three lead singers in their group, even now.
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I’ve given this a good number of spins now, and pretty much everything has grown on me since my initial impression. Oddly enough, Atlantic Cable is the one I’m having trouble with a bit (some of it seems to ramble a bit structurally and vocally). The instrumental passages are really great for sure though. I even started to like All the Love You Can Give a bit more. But man am I still transfixed but Apollo that one just blows me away every time.
Instrumentally and especially drum wise, this album is a joy to listen to. The band sound so good. Even on the poppier pieces there is some killer playing. I don’t know where I’d rank it, but it is refreshing to see a new direction even while it still sounds like BBT. I also think Dave Foster brings a new edge with his solos, and I’m glad they didn’t go for someone trying to sound like Dave Gregory.
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In the Passenger's Club today, Nick Shilton teased the release of "further new music down the line." Hoping we get an EP similar to The Second Brightest Star later this year or next. I know Bard is set for re-issue as well, but that doesn't seem to fit the category of "new music."
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Got Common Ground today and am looking forward to hitting the repeat button a few times over this weekend.
I'm a huge fan of BBT and ND but I have to admit, I did not care for 'The Strangest Times' all that much.
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Got Common Ground today and am looking forward to hitting the repeat button a few times over this weekend.
I'm a huge fan of BBT and ND but I have to admit, I did not care for 'The Strangest Times' all that much.
The opener is definitely one that takes a bit of getting used to. The lyrics will become incredibly dated in a few years (hopefully, because I hope this pandemic doesn't last much longer), but the music itself is very positive and uplifting. I can look past a couple of lines of lyrics for a generally great songs.
After a dozen+ spins of the album, I can say it's easily an AOTY contender for me (possibly taking over Transatlantic's The Absolute Universe), which is especially tough considering that the NMB and Dream Theater still have new albums coming out as well. What a good year for new music from my favorite bands!
In the Passenger's Club today, Nick Shilton teased the release of "further new music down the line." Hoping we get an EP similar to The Second Brightest Star later this year or next. I know Bard is set for re-issue as well, but that doesn't seem to fit the category of "new music."
I think I did read somewhere on the FB forum that there was more music written for the album that did not get put out, so I'm excited to see the Grimspound to Common Ground's Folklore. If we're lucky, maybe they'll pump it out for a release next summer. If I recall, they also put out The Second Brightest Star not long after it was announced, which was a great surprise!
-Marc.
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I really enjoy The Strangest Times musically (lyrically not as much), it reminds me of Alive which was my favourite song on Grand Tour. I prefer these uptempo and uplifting songs from them.
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I really enjoy The Strangest Times musically (lyrically not as much), it reminds me of Alive which was my favourite song on Grand Tour. I prefer these uptempo and uplifting songs from them.
I really like it too. I’m surprised how much it and the title track have grown on me the last few days. They didn’t necessarily hit me when I heard them pre-release.
The one that is really hitting me now is Black With Ink. Very cool once you dig into it. The whole album is really strong though. I’m definitely loving it now.
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That "metal riffing" in the middle of All The Love We Can Give took me by surprise :lol
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The Strangest Times is quite possibly the most on-the-nose song I've ever heard. Cringeworthy, I'm afraid. Hope the rest is better.
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"Common ground" also appears in Theodora in Green and Gold off the previous album.
Watching the video for "Brew And Burgh" on YouTube just now and realized that "common ground" also appears in that song. I guess they've had the idea in their heads a lot over the last few years.
Before their next release, I should make a BBT Words/Lyrics Bingo Card and throw in a bunch of words and phrases they've used for lyrics a lot over the years - hedgerow, shoreline, meadow(land), far skies, science, art, steam, etc. - it'll take a lot of time to compile 24 distinct enough bits of lyrics but I'm sure I could come up with a solid bingo card before their next release of original material! :lol
-Marc.
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"Common ground" also appears in Theodora in Green and Gold off the previous album.
Watching the video for "Brew And Burgh" on YouTube just now and realized that "common ground" also appears in that song. I guess they've had the idea in their heads a lot over the last few years.
Before their next release, I should make a BBT Words/Lyrics Bingo Card and throw in a bunch of words and phrases they've used for lyrics a lot over the years - hedgerow, shoreline, meadow(land), far skies, science, art, steam, etc. - it'll take a lot of time to compile 24 distinct enough bits of lyrics but I'm sure I could come up with a solid bingo card before their next release of original material! :lol
-Marc.
“Gone to ground” is one that GS uses quite often, back to the early days of the band (I know it appears on English Boy Wonders, most recently on Roman Stone, but several points between as well. Haven’t caught it on Common Ground yet).
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The Strangest Times is quite possibly the most on-the-nose song I've ever heard. Cringeworthy, I'm afraid. Hope the rest is better.
The rest is better, much better!
Actually, in my opinion, if they had left off The Strangest Times from this album, it would have been an even better album. Because the other songs are really good. I love that they went away from the pastoral, epic and slower sound of Grand Tour again. I think this was a conscious decision, as I have read many criticisms that the band has gone "too soft". In fact, I would love another Underfall Yard, a dark, progressive and restless album. But I don't think that will happen.
Either way, I like Common Ground a lot, but The Strangest Times is still expendable ;) But Black With Ink and All The Love are awesome with their unconventional harmony progressions and strange atmosphere.
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I wonder if we feel awkward about The Strangest Times because we've all experienced it. People don't (always) complain about love songs being "too on the nose", and that's because not everyone has experienced what it's like to be in love or to lose a love. That and it's from an incredibly tunnel-vision-British perspective.
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I wonder if we feel awkward about The Strangest Times because we've all experienced it. People don't (always) complain about love songs being "too on the nose", and that's because not everyone has experienced what it's like to be in love or to lose a love. That and it's from an incredibly tunnel-vision-British perspective.
Nah, I think the music is too poppy as well. I like well-crafted pop (I also liked Alive), but this is just a little too upbeat and flat for my taste.
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I had the same negative first impression of the lyrics on The Strangest Times (you can go back and find my post about it), but it has grown on me big time as a song. I love how upbeat it is, and there is some really fun playing on it. I love the guitar solo. And it sets up the overall theme of the album well. This is our current obstacle to overcome to stay "connected," just like the burning of the ancient library or the laying of the Atlantic cable.
The other song I did not like when I first heard it was All the Love You Can Give. I still think the lyrics in Nick's vocal parts are pretty awkward, but I do really like the chorus and I love the opening drum groove. It has grown on me a ton.
All that to say, I don't think there is a weak spot on the album. It sounds absolutely fantastic too. One of the best mixes I've heard. I really think NDV is the star of the album, but Greg Spawton has also out-done himself on bass, and Rikard taking over keyboards has added a nice new dimension to the band.
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Regarding "The Strangest Of Times", it's grown on me, especially now that I get David's intentions on the lyrics. I believe he has said they're purposely written to date the song so that in years to come when we look back on it, we can appreciate how things have gotten better since the pandemic (hopefully). I agree they do sound dated even now, but it's a good benchmark of reminding us what a crap year 2020 was for many, and that we should be hopeful for a better future as we move past it.
As for the album as a whole, it's grown on me with every listen, but I've decided to spin their whole discography in chronological order as a break from over-playing Common Ground. I listened to their first six albums last night, ending with the Remaster/Remix of The Underfall Yard. And this morning, I continued with Far Skies Deep Time, and now I'm onto EEFP. It's been fun revisiting the older stuff and it makes me more excited knowing they'll finally re-release Bard next year.
-Marc.
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I think I'm in the minority here, but I honestly couldn't get into 'Grand Tour' it had its moments but it personally fell along way short of everything from 'The Underfall Yard' onwards.
I listened to 'Common Ground' this morning worried it also wouldn't connect with me - however even after just one play I felt instantly more engaged with it than I've ever done with 'Grand Tour'.
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I think I'm in the minority here, but I honestly couldn't get into 'Grand Tour' it had its moments but it personally fell along way short of everything from 'The Underfall Yard' onwards.
I listened to 'Common Ground' this morning worried it also wouldn't connect with me - however even after just one play I felt instantly more engaged with it than I've ever done with 'Grand Tour'.
To be honest I was a little bit down on Grand Tour as well. Not that any of it was bad (and there are parts of it I really love), but on the whole I didn’t enjoy it as much as previous albums. This one does feel like a natural continuation of the sound on Grand Tour, but I agree the songs are a bit stronger and more engaging.
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I guess I'm the odd one here because I loved GT when it came out and I still do. I love every piece, especially the longer epics on the album, and we get three of them! "Voyager" is especially jaw-dropping.
Likewise, I've also loved CG, and I feel like it'd be unfair to compare the two given that GT featured a a band that was half-different than the one on CG. Both have their strengths and weaknesses but they're both well done by each version of the band.
I think some of the mythologically-inspired lyrics of CG led to the band not focusing so much on those areas of inspiration this time around, and the songs are a bit more personal and emotional rather than being narratives for stories (though both approaches are good).
-Marc.
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My favorites from Grand Tour are Alive, Pantheon, and Voyager. I’ve come to like The Florentine a lot more than I did initially. The lyrics are a bit wordy, but the instrumental portion is fun. Roman Stone has some great moments but I guess it suffers a bit from not quite being up to the standard of London Plane (sort of twin songs about two cities) for me. The lyric wasn’t as poetic as London Plane’s, and it doesn’t quite have the same impact. I do love the instrumental section on that one as well. Theodora in Green and Gold is nice but not anything special by BBT standards, and Home Song is good but also felt a bit like recycled ideas. I don’t really like Ariel much at all and it might have fit better on a Longdon solo album or something. It doesn’t fit the Grand Tour theme, and it’s just so long. I like the album a lot better without it interrupting the flow. I also hate to admit that the album cover kind of detracted from the album a bit at first. I’m over that now, but it was jarring.
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Acoustic performance of Common Ground at Real World by Greg, David, Carly, and Dave:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0zw0QHYKxsZqPPRd4hKoIh0pyp8mBkAqmwOXseYDyXCrZHlbgf6Dp8mCs&v=M2eu2SPjdb4&feature=youtu.be
I really do worry a bit about a copyright claim by Seal on this one. Someone more musical than me can confirm, but they sound like the exact same key and chord progression, and the melody is not that far off. Rick Beato’s What Makes This Song Great about Kiss From a Rose went on about how unique the chord progression is on that one.
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Got my CD of Common Ground today. As much as the cover art is OK, the lighthouse picture in the booklet would've made a much nicer front cover.
Anyway, favourites early on are definitely Black with Ink and Headwaters.
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I've been spinning this album a lot. While it has some great moments, I still cringe with the opening track. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect album. Star of the album for me is NDV: superb drumming, great lead singing, and even better background vocals.
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I think Atlantic Cable is my favourite so far.
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I've been spinning this album a lot. While it has some great moments, I still cringe with the opening track. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect album. Star of the album for me is NDV: superb drumming, great lead singing, and even better background vocals.
Nick is just amazing on the whole thing. He just gets better and better as a drummer. Just an example, the ending of Endnotes is sublime with these really subtle rolls at just the right moments.
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Voyager should have been the closing track!
True. Gone are the days when an epic would be the closer, the climactic point to which an album climbs towards. It seems to be more of a cliche now to have an epic placed second-to-last, with a "comedown" song to close the album. BBT have done this on all their recent albums:
English Electric Full Power (to me and the band the definitive version of EE): East Coast Racer followed by Curator of Butterflies
Folklore: Brooklands followed by Telling the Bees
Grimspound: A Mead Hall in Winter followed by As the Crow Flies
And obviously GT does the same.
I guess you can toss on "Atlantic Cable" and "Endnotes" as well. :lol
Cliche or not, I enjoy it. It's a sort of breather song to help calm the listener after such a big piece, and a way to reflect upon the album as a whole. And actually, I love "Endnotes" just as much as "Curator Of Butterflies" and "Telling The Bees". Three of my favorite BBT songs, actually.
And like I pointed out in one of my first reivew posts for Grand Tour, the end-run of "Ariel"/"Voyager"/"Homesong" is some of BBT's best, but the end-run of "Common Ground"/"Atlantic Cable"/"Endnotes" is about as good to me as well. Both have different strengths, but I love each three-song run on both albums.
Got my CD of Common Ground today. As much as the cover art is OK, the lighthouse picture in the booklet would've made a much nicer front cover.
Anyway, favourites early on are definitely Black with Ink and Headwaters.
"Black With Ink" is slowly becoming a favorite of mine on the album. Everytime I listen to it, it just gets better and better. And Rikard's playing on "Headwaters" is such a beautiful way to mark the halfway point of the album, and just the way he plays the theme that Greg wrote for "Endnotes" is just so... *chef's kiss* SO GOOD.
I've been spinning this album a lot. While it has some great moments, I still cringe with the opening track. Otherwise, it would have been a perfect album. Star of the album for me is NDV: superb drumming, great lead singing, and even better background vocals.
Nick is just amazing on the whole thing. He just gets better and better as a drummer. Just an example, the ending of Endnotes is sublime with these really subtle rolls at just the right moments.
Nick has been on a roll with BBT, and his solo album last year was a stand-out for me as well, especially after having been so long since his last solo album. He is quickly becoming a star in the band, and easily one of the most underrated musicians in prog and rock in general. Between his work in Spock's Beard, Big Big Train, solo stuff, and the Rewiring Genesis album, he's got a pretty insanely high caliber discography after 26 or so years, and he just keeps getting better and better!
-Marc.
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I’ve been jumping straight to Headwaters a lot lately as well. It’s a gorgeous piece.
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Thinking about what the band could be playing on tour next year, I was trying to figure out which songs from TUY onward the band haven't yet played live. Here's the list that I could come up with, but if I included a song they DID play live, let me know:
Evening Star
Winchester Diver
Seen Better Days
Edgelands
Upton Heath
A Boy In Darkness
Worked Out
Winchester From St Giles Hill
The Lovers
Leopards
Keeper Of Abbeys
Along The Ridgeway
Salisbury Giant
Mudlarks
Lost Rivers Of London
Brooklands
On The Racing Line
Grimspound
The Ivy Gate
As The Crow Flies
The Second Brightest Star
Haymaking
Skylon
London Stone
The Passing Widow
The Leaden Stour
Terra Australis Incognita
The Gentleman's Reprise
Roman Stone
Pantheon
Ariel
Of these, I would love to see them break out "On The Racing Line"/"Brooklands", as well as "Ariel". I'm not sure how interesting it would be live, but a full performance of "London Song" (yes, all 33 minutes of it) could be fun to see them pull off!
I do wonder if they'll ever go back to some of those unplayed English Electric tunes given how different the band is now (with half of the band remaining from that line-up). "Seen Better Days", "A Boy In Darkness", "Winchester From St Giles' Hill", and "Keeper Of Abbeys" would all be fantastic live, and I'm sure the current live line-up could pull them off.
-Marc.
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I'm surprised to see that Keeper of Abbeys was never played live. Seems built for live performance, though it kinda has the same energy as Judas Unrepentant so maybe they opted to do that one instead. I'd love to see the entire Brooklands Sequence make its debut, but I think the 'On The Racing Line' section was composed by Danny Manners so that might be "off-limits" to them now that he's no longer in the band. Also, Evening Star seem like a huge omission.
I've never seen them so I'll take whatever set they can manage to bring over to the US. It's all so good an they haven't played enough to burn any songs out.
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I'm surprised to see that Keeper of Abbeys was never played live. Seems built for live performance, though it kinda has the same energy as Judas Unrepentant so maybe they opted to do that one instead. I'd love to see the entire Brooklands Sequence make its debut, but I think the 'On The Racing Line' section was composed by Danny Manners so that might be "off-limits" to them now that he's no longer in the band. Also, Evening Star seem like a huge omission.
I've never seen them so I'll take whatever set they can manage to bring over to the US. It's all so good an they haven't played enough to burn any songs out.
Looking at discogs, "On The Racing Line" was co-written by Danny Manners and Greg Spawton, so maybe they could still play it. I'm not aware of any bad blood between Danny and the band that would cause them to not play any songs that Danny had composed, or help compose.
Earlier today, I participated in the BBT Common Ground "live" listening party on their Facebook group, and it was interesting seeing comments from David, Greg, and Nick regarding the album's songs, as well as comments from Dave Foester (new guitarist) and Dave Desmond (Trombonist) (lots of Daves in the thread!).I even got replies from David and Greg about some questions and comments I had regarding the music!
And not an hour ago, I received my Belle Antique (Japanese release) version of Common Ground, and it only left Tokyo less than 34 hours earlier (DHL Shipping is SUPER fast!). Like with Grand Tour, this album has a unique bonus track written by Rikard, placed at tbe end of the album. It's another piano piece titled "Downstream" and is another lovely coda to an album that has quickly grown on me as I've started really digesting the musical and lyrical content of the album!
-Marc.
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Totally forgot they were doing the listening party today (or more accurately didn't realize it was in the middle of the afternoon). Just checked on the thread and there are over 1,000 comments! Yikes! Probably not gonna wade through all that, but glad it was fun!
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So, the only Big Big Train album I have is The Underfall Yard, which I liked (and should revisit). I have listened to Common Ground and while I overall enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. I've gone through the thread a bit, and I noted they've been quite the prolific band over the last few years.
I'm planning to explore the discography some more - any recommendations from the good people at DTF on where to go next? Chronological order? Albums I should DEFINITELY check out?
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So, the only Big Big Train album I have is The Underfall Yard, which I liked (and should revisit). I have listened to Common Ground and while I overall enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. I've gone through the thread a bit, and I noted they've been quite the prolific band over the last few years.
I'm planning to explore the discography some more - any recommendations from the good people at DTF on where to go next? Chronological order? Albums I should DEFINITELY check out?
You should check out Folklore, Grand Tour, and English Electric Full Power. Full Power is too long so you might check out Folkore and GT first. Grimspound is also very good. I tend to go with the newer stuff first. I do agree with you, Common Ground is a bit underwhelming. But those other albums will make it up.
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So, the only Big Big Train album I have is The Underfall Yard, which I liked (and should revisit). I have listened to Common Ground and while I overall enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. I've gone through the thread a bit, and I noted they've been quite the prolific band over the last few years.
I'm planning to explore the discography some more - any recommendations from the good people at DTF on where to go next? Chronological order? Albums I should DEFINITELY check out?
You should check out Folklore, Grand Tour, and English Electric Full Power. Full Power is too long so you might check out Folkore and GT first. Grimspound is also very good. I tend to go with the newer stuff first. I do agree with you, Common Ground is a bit underwhelming. But those other albums will make it up.
Thank you, I'll start digging :tup What's the deal with English Electric Full Power? Is it just the combination of Part One and Two?
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So, the only Big Big Train album I have is The Underfall Yard, which I liked (and should revisit). I have listened to Common Ground and while I overall enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. I've gone through the thread a bit, and I noted they've been quite the prolific band over the last few years.
I'm planning to explore the discography some more - any recommendations from the good people at DTF on where to go next? Chronological order? Albums I should DEFINITELY check out?
You should check out Folklore, Grand Tour, and English Electric Full Power. Full Power is too long so you might check out Folkore and GT first. Grimspound is also very good. I tend to go with the newer stuff first. I do agree with you, Common Ground is a bit underwhelming. But those other albums will make it up.
Thank you, I'll start digging :tup What's the deal with English Electric Full Power? Is it just the combination of Part One and Two?
EEFP was released as a combination of EE Parts 1 and 2, as well as four new tracks released afterwards and part of the Make Some Noise EP. Full Power is the complete encapsulation of all the material from that 2012/2013 era, and it's definitely a good place to start after The Underfall Yard.
I would also suggest checking out their Far Skies Deep Time "EP" (originally released as a 5 track EP at about 40 minutes, but a 2017 reissue includes a 6th track making it a 50 minute album). That release was made by the same lineup as The Underfall Yard, and features some material that didn't make that album, their previous album (The Difference Machine), a remake of an older song from from early 90s, and a cover of an Anthony Philips demo.
After EEFP, I would suggest just going chronologically, next to Folklore, then Grimspound, and The Second Brightest Star. Those 3 albums form another chunk of the band's material that I often lump together.
And then Grand Tour sort of moves oh from the kind of pastoral, folk-y music that defined their previous 5 albums, but retains a lot of of BBT hallmarks that make them a unique, standout band in the modern prog world!
-Marc.
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Thank you, I'll start digging :tup What's the deal with English Electric Full Power? Is it just the combination of Part One and Two?
EEFP was released as a combination of EE Parts 1 and 2, as well as four new tracks released afterwards and part of the Make Some Noise EP. Full Power is the complete encapsulation of all the material from that 2012/2013 era, and it's definitely a good place to start after The Underfall Yard.
I would also suggest checking out their Far Skies Deep Time "EP" (originally released as a 5 track EP at about 40 minutes, but a 2017 reissue includes a 6th track making it a 50 minute album). That release was made by the same lineup as The Underfall Yard, and features some material that didn't make that album, their previous album (The Difference Machine), a remake of an older song from from early 90s, and a cover of an Anthony Philips demo.
After EEFP, I would suggest just going chronologically, next to Folklore, then Grimspound, and The Second Brightest Star. Those 3 albums form another chunk of the band's material that I often lump together.
And then Grand Tour sort of moves oh from the kind of pastoral, folk-y music that defined their previous 5 albums, but retains a lot of of BBT hallmarks that make them a unique, standout band in the modern prog world!
-Marc.
Thank you, this is plenty of great info :) Judging from the pic you posted earlier in the thread, I take it you are a pretty big fan of the band!
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So, the only Big Big Train album I have is The Underfall Yard, which I liked (and should revisit). I have listened to Common Ground and while I overall enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. I've gone through the thread a bit, and I noted they've been quite the prolific band over the last few years.
I'm planning to explore the discography some more - any recommendations from the good people at DTF on where to go next? Chronological order? Albums I should DEFINITELY check out?
If you like The Underfall Yard you should like Far Skies Deep Time and English Electric. In fact, I’d highly recommend you get both (you can only buy English Electric as the double disc Full Power version, but it’s definitely not too long. Listened to it today and it flew by. You can stream the individual albums as well though). You might also like The Difference Machine, which preceded The Underfall Yard and has a different singer but has a similar darker vibe as The Underfall Yard.
In my opinion, BBT haven’t released a bad album yet though. Give Common Ground a little time. I had to give it several spins to really start to get it, but I am really enjoying it now. It might help you to have a little more context though for what the band do before you really get it.
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Speaking of recycled phrases, it occurs to me that Endnotes ends on the line “down the river to the sea,” which is awfully close to the name of the band’s demo album From the River to the Sea. I wonder if that was a conscience reference or not. Would have been a fitting line if this were the band’s last album, but thankfully (hopefully!) that doesn’t appear to be the case!
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Speaking of recycled phrases, it occurs to me that Endnotes ends on the line “down the river to the sea,” which is awfully close to the name of the band’s demo album From the River to the Sea. I wonder if that was a conscience reference or not. Would have been a fitting line if this were the band’s last album, but thankfully (hopefully!) that doesn’t appear to be the case!
During the listening party earlier today, I asked Greg about that and he responded with "It's all connected!" :lol Must be part of the greater BBT Universe!
Thank you, this is plenty of great info :) Judging from the pic you posted earlier in the thread, I take it you are a pretty big fan of the band!
Happy to help! And yes, BBT have quickly become one of my favorite bands of all time in the near 9 years I've known about them. I even started this thread! I've been pre-ordering every album, single, EP, and BD since 2013's English Electric Part 2, so yeah, I'd probably say I'm a pretty big fan of the band. 😅
-Marc.
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Does the physical copy show the writing credits? I'm currently playing though Amazon music - and Wiki hasn't got a separate page for this album yet. I always like to know the split between the Greg and Dave songs and seeing where Nick contributes.
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Does the physical copy show the writing credits? I'm currently playing though Amazon music - and Wiki hasn't got a separate page for this album yet. I always like to know the split between the Greg and Dave songs and seeing where Nick contributes.
Check here:
https://www.discogs.com/Big-Big-Train-Common-Ground/release/19581799
It has writing credits (and instrument/vocals credits) for each of the songs.
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Does the physical copy show the writing credits? I'm currently playing though Amazon music - and Wiki hasn't got a separate page for this album yet. I always like to know the split between the Greg and Dave songs and seeing where Nick contributes.
Check here:
https://www.discogs.com/Big-Big-Train-Common-Ground/release/19581799
It has writing credits (and instrument/vocals credits) for each of the songs.
Thanks. Some surprises there. I generally prefer Dave's songs - but on this albums not so much.
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I've listen to the new album now a few more times and while I do think it's overall more enjoyable than 'Grand Tour' I still find the songs are often lacking (for want of a better word) personality compared to stuff between Underfall Yard and the Folklore album trilogy.
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If you like The Underfall Yard you should like Far Skies Deep Time and English Electric. In fact, I’d highly recommend you get both (you can only buy English Electric as the double disc Full Power version, but it’s definitely not too long. Listened to it today and it flew by. You can stream the individual albums as well though). You might also like The Difference Machine, which preceded The Underfall Yard and has a different singer but has a similar darker vibe as The Underfall Yard.
In my opinion, BBT haven’t released a bad album yet though. Give Common Ground a little time. I had to give it several spins to really start to get it, but I am really enjoying it now. It might help you to have a little more context though for what the band do before you really get it.
Looks like I'll be checking out English Electric next :)
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English Electric Part 1 is probably my favourite BBT album, actually. But I'm a pretty new BBT listener, so I haven't checked out all their music yet.
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If you like The Underfall Yard you should like Far Skies Deep Time and English Electric. In fact, I’d highly recommend you get both (you can only buy English Electric as the double disc Full Power version, but it’s definitely not too long. Listened to it today and it flew by. You can stream the individual albums as well though). You might also like The Difference Machine, which preceded The Underfall Yard and has a different singer but has a similar darker vibe as The Underfall Yard.
In my opinion, BBT haven’t released a bad album yet though. Give Common Ground a little time. I had to give it several spins to really start to get it, but I am really enjoying it now. It might help you to have a little more context though for what the band do before you really get it.
Looks like I'll be checking out English Electric next :)
Excellent choice. That was actually the first full album I heard, and it’s what made me a fan.
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From the band's Facebook:
COMMON GROUND REACHES 31 IN THE OFFICIAL UK ALBUM CHARTS
We are pleased to confirm that Common Ground has become our second ever UK Top 40 album, reaching 31 in the charts today (beating Grand Tour which was placed at 35 in 2019.)
Common Ground also reached 53 in the album charts in Germany, our first album to chart in Germany.
We would like to thank all listeners for supporting Big Big Train and rock music. We couldn’t do this without you.
We look forward to seeing you on tour next year.
Best wishes
Big Big Train
Very cool to see the train picking up steam, at least in the UK. I think there is enough of accessibility to some of these songs (Strangest Times, Dandelion Clock, the title track), that maybe they can even reach a broader commercial audience with enough publicity.
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One listen in for English Electric Full Power - couldn't give it full attention as I'm working, but first impression is great. I mean, that's a lot of British prog to take in ;) but the songs, the melodies and the playing are pretty amazing.
One thing that I had noticed from The Underfall Yard too - the band just sounds so...good? Everything is so lively and bright...not so much the mood, which of course varies throughout the record, but the sound itself...the instruments and the vocals, a true pleasure to listen to.
Early stand-outs for me: Hedgegrow, Judas Unrepentant (this could really be a lost Gabriel/Hackett-era Genesis song) and East Coast Racer. But plenty of cool moments going on with the more concise songs too...
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One listen in for English Electric Full Power - couldn't give it full attention as I'm working, but first impression is great. I mean, that's a lot of British prog to take in ;) but the songs, the melodies and the playing are pretty amazing.
One thing that I had noticed from The Underfall Yard too - the band just sounds so...good? Everything is so lively and bright...not so much the mood, which of course varies throughout the record, but the sound itself...the instruments and the vocals, a true pleasure to listen to.
Early stand-outs for me: Hedgegrow, Judas Unrepentant (this could really be a lost Gabriel/Hackett-era Genesis song) and East Coast Racer. But plenty of cool moments going on with the more concise songs too...
The playing is first class, but they also have an amazing engineer/mixer in Rob Aubrey who seems to make the band sound better with each album. They just re-mixed and re-issued The Underfall Yard. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the original (low budget as it was at the time), but he found a way to make everything sound even better. The latest, Common Ground, is pure ear candy. I keep going back to it in part because it is such a pleasant auditory experience.
Oh, and English Electric is very much steeped in the British prog tradition, possibly their most pastoral album. They do incorporate more of a folk sound on subsequent albums, and on the most recent albums you get more of Nick D'Virgilio's American side showing up in the writing. But they are very quintessentially British.
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The playing is first class, but they also have an amazing engineer/mixer in Rob Aubrey who seems to make the band sound better with each album. They just re-mixed and re-issued The Underfall Yard. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the original (low budget as it was at the time), but he found a way to make everything sound even better. The latest, Common Ground, is pure ear candy. I keep going back to it in part because it is such a pleasant auditory experience.
Rob Aubrey definitely knows how to make the most out of each and every member of BBT, on every song, and on every album, and I agree that his mixing on Common Ground is impeccable!
One listen in for English Electric Full Power - couldn't give it full attention as I'm working, but first impression is great. I mean, that's a lot of British prog to take in ;) but the songs, the melodies and the playing are pretty amazing.
One thing that I had noticed from The Underfall Yard too - the band just sounds so...good? Everything is so lively and bright...not so much the mood, which of course varies throughout the record, but the sound itself...the instruments and the vocals, a true pleasure to listen to.
Early stand-outs for me: Hedgegrow, Judas Unrepentant (this could really be a lost Gabriel/Hackett-era Genesis song) and East Coast Racer. But plenty of cool moments going on with the more concise songs too...
Glad you are enjoying EEFP! The English Electric albums were the newest ones when I became a fan so I spent a LOT of time getting to know those songs, especially once Full Power came out. There was a 3-year gap between EEFP and Folklore, so my anticipation for Folklore was through the roof, but the trilogy of Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star marks another unique sub-era for the band. If you've been enjoying TUY and EEFP, I think you'll like where the band goes next.
"Hedgerow" is just an absolute lovely song to sing along to, "Judas Unrepentant" is one of the best songs off the album, and ECR is always a fan-favorite. It's no wonder that it's their second-most-played-live song (behind "Wassail"), and I would be surprised if it doesn't make the cut for next year's live concerts!
-Marc.
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Looks like physical copies of EEFP are not super-easy to come by...
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Looks like physical copies of EEFP are not super-easy to come by...
The original hardcover digibook set is SUPER rare and expensive these days, but they re-released it in a plain jewel case with a smaller booklet back in October 2016, which might be a bit easier to find, but having owned the original release, I've never bothered to get the re-release, even though it was remastered (the original sounds fine to my ears as is).
https://www.discogs.com/Big-Big-Train-English-Electric/release/9253030
-Marc.
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The original hardcover digibook set is SUPER rare and expensive these days, but they re-released it in a plain jewel case with a smaller booklet back in October 2016, which might be a bit easier to find, but having owned the original release, I've never bothered to get the re-release, even though it was remastered (the original sounds fine to my ears as is).
https://www.discogs.com/Big-Big-Train-English-Electric/release/9253030
-Marc.
This would work...I'll keep an eye out!
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Well, it was remastered to have all the right EQs and volume in place by combining 3 records (Pt 1, Pt 2, and the EP). Those sound different by themselves.
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Well, it was remastered to have all the right EQs and volume in place by combining 3 records (Pt 1, Pt 2, and the EP). Those sound different by themselves.
I assume there was remastering on EEFP as well, though I'm not totally sure about that. As I understand it, the recent 2-disc version of English Electric was "de-mastered" with minimal compression to allow the original dynamics to come through. But I don't own that version either so I can't say how it compares.
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Well, it was remastered to have all the right EQs and volume in place by combining 3 records (Pt 1, Pt 2, and the EP). Those sound different by themselves.
I assume there was remastering on EEFP as well, though I'm not totally sure about that. As I understand it, the recent 2-disc version of English Electric was "de-mastered" with minimal compression to allow the original dynamics to come through. But I don't own that version either so I can't say how it compares.
I'll have to track down and try to find a copy of EEFP 2016 just so I can hear the differences!
And on this rainy afternoon, I have put on the Live At Kings Place 2015 concert video I recently bought from the band's Vimeo page. Only $13.00 for both parts total, which isn't bad, but I think the reason I never got around to buying these videos was probably because I was holding out hope for a physical BD release of those 2015 shows, but I've been in a HUGE BBT mood lately, and I wanted to finally watch these songs in full. They only released four on the Stone & Steel BD, plus 2 more on YouTube (not part of Stone & Steel), but that was only about half of the whole setlist, but now I have the whole thing. Very good concert video so far, and they apparently took the best performances of each song from the three concerts, though I believe most of them came from the Sunday/third concert of the weekend.
-Marc.
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Well, it was remastered to have all the right EQs and volume in place by combining 3 records (Pt 1, Pt 2, and the EP). Those sound different by themselves.
I assume there was remastering on EEFP as well, though I'm not totally sure about that. As I understand it, the recent 2-disc version of English Electric was "de-mastered" with minimal compression to allow the original dynamics to come through. But I don't own that version either so I can't say how it compares.
I'll have to track down and try to find a copy of EEFP 2016 just so I can hear the differences!
And on this rainy afternoon, I have put on the Live At Kings Place 2015 concert video I recently bought from the band's Vimeo page. Only $13.00 for both parts total, which isn't bad, but I think the reason I never got around to buying these videos was probably because I was holding out hope for a physical BD release of those 2015 shows, but I've been in a HUGE BBT mood lately, and I wanted to finally watch these songs in full. They only released four on the Stone & Steel BD, plus 2 more on YouTube (not part of Stone & Steel), but that was only about half of the whole setlist, but now I have the whole thing. Very good concert video so far, and they apparently took the best performances of each song from the three concerts, though I believe most of them came from the Sunday/third concert of the weekend.
-Marc.
Somewhat randomly, I’m currently watching Winkie from Empire again! The King’s Place video was great. I’ve got the Vimeo version too but haven’t watched it in a while.
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Well, it was remastered to have all the right EQs and volume in place by combining 3 records (Pt 1, Pt 2, and the EP). Those sound different by themselves.
I assume there was remastering on EEFP as well, though I'm not totally sure about that. As I understand it, the recent 2-disc version of English Electric was "de-mastered" with minimal compression to allow the original dynamics to come through. But I don't own that version either so I can't say how it compares.
I'll have to track down and try to find a copy of EEFP 2016 just so I can hear the differences!
And on this rainy afternoon, I have put on the Live At Kings Place 2015 concert video I recently bought from the band's Vimeo page. Only $13.00 for both parts total, which isn't bad, but I think the reason I never got around to buying these videos was probably because I was holding out hope for a physical BD release of those 2015 shows, but I've been in a HUGE BBT mood lately, and I wanted to finally watch these songs in full. They only released four on the Stone & Steel BD, plus 2 more on YouTube (not part of Stone & Steel), but that was only about half of the whole setlist, but now I have the whole thing. Very good concert video so far, and they apparently took the best performances of each song from the three concerts, though I believe most of them came from the Sunday/third concert of the weekend.
-Marc.
Somewhat randomly, I’m currently watching Winkie from Empire again! The King’s Place video was great. I’ve got the Vimeo version too but haven’t watched it in a while.
That "Winkie" performance is something else. I watched it on YouTube sometime last week. I think either tonight or tomorrow, I am going to put on the Reflectors Of Light BD, as I don't think I've seen that more than once, and I'm still on a BBT kick. It's amazing that we've gotten essentially 3 full live concerts from them in just 6 years of them doing live shows and tours. I would have loved to have gotten the full Loreley performance on BD, but I watched an audience video recording on YouTube last week that was pretty suitable. I don't do concerts very often as I would rather save my money for physical media, but if BBT come anywhere near me within a 3 hour radius, I am going to make an exception and try to see them (if they make it to DC, Baltimore, or possibly even in VA, NJ or PA if possible). Just gotta save up for it. Still waiting to see when those US tour dates are dropping!
-Marc.
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So I wanted to compile some bits of information revealed by the band members during last week's Common Ground Listening Party, and after spending about 40-50 minutes scrolling through 1000+ comments, here's what I've come up with!
The album in general
-Spawton says dividing the album into "Part One" and "Part Two" was a "deliberate hark back to vinyl days."
-When asked what prompted Spawton to go back to using picks on this album, he said "I have a new pre-amp setup for this album (which I really like) and it suited playing with a plectrum much better. So, will probably be sticking with this setup now."
-When asked how BBT got to work with Aidan O'Rourke and if they were fans of Lau, Spawton replied "Yes, big fans. We asked and he said yes!" and Longdon said "Aidan was approached via Steve Vantsis. Yes both Greg and I like LAU."
-When asked how her first recording experience with BBT went, Carly Bryant replied "it was really lovely. They are such a great group of people and it felt very natural. I have worked with Rob Aubrey before so that was a nice familiarity and I swear he's a genius!"
-When asked about his "inspiration for the more historical songs" he writes (specifically regarding "Atlantic Cable"), Spawton replied "I collect ideas and thoughts in a notebook and then, when the time is right, try to write music and words for the most interesting ideas."
The Strangest Times
-When asked about writing a song about COVID, Longdon said "I write about the things that I feel that I need to."
-"The Strangest Times is a song about how I coped with the onset of the pandemic back in March 2020. The lyrics were written very directly about an intensely serious global situation. 'Many will die before their time' said the British prime minister (PM) Boris Johnson in his address to the nation. Scary stuff." - Longdon
-Dave Foster confirms the guitar solo was performed by him.
-Longdon says the arrangement on this track (and the title track) were by him.
-The opening song "sets the scenario of where [we] were when the album was made." - Longdon
-NDV praises Rikard's piano playing.
-"I felt writing a song about a pandemic and making it poetic or shrouded in metaphors did not really adress the severity of the times." - Longdon
All The Love We Can Give
-"David['s] voice sounds beautiful in the lower register. That is why [he is singing so low]. I thought it would be cool to do and hear." - NDV
-Longdon said "NDV wanted me to sing the song in the lower register. I wanted to give him what he wanted." to which NDV replied "[A]nd boy did you give it to me David! YES!!!"
-When asked if this song was leftover from his solo album Invisible, NDV replied "No it was completely new and written for BBT."
Black With Ink
-Greg Spawton praises Rob (Aubrey) for his mixing on this song when replying to a comment of "Great bass sound".
-Spawton confirms that the lyric "Common ground" appearing in this song was not a coincidence.
-This song "was actually an older track that was going to be part of a concept record. That got scrapped and thankfully that tune was hangin around just waiting to be recorded." - NDV
-When asked if BWI was ever planned to be a traditional style BBT epic or if it was always an uptempo rock number, Greg replies that it was "always a rock number."
Dandelion Clock
-"XTC have a lovely song called Humble Daisy. I wanted to write about a different garden weed." - Spawton
-"David had a big influence on this song, with piano and vocal arrangements. A lot of Carly in the vocal mix too." - Spawton
Headwaters
-"Headwaters is a bookend piece which Rikard composed using the theme in the closing section of Endnotes." - Spawton
Apollo
-"I just wanted to write a quintessential BBT instrumental that could become our long time show closer. The guys and gals in this band are monster players and I wanted to make something to challenge them and have [fun?] with. With the intention of making it not so crazy muso that it would make peoples head spin and to top it off, have a singable melody for the long outro." - NDV
-"Has a kind of Jacuzzi by Steve Hackett [feel] in places." - Spawton
-When asked if "Apollo" is a reference to the god or the space program, Spawton replied "Both."
-The band are very excited about bringing this song to the stage, with specific reactions from Spawton, NDV and Dave Desmond.
-When asked if "Apollo" is the most difficult BBT song for flute, Longdon replied "I don't really view things in terms of difficulty. It's all about the melody for me."
Common Ground
-Replying to a comment that one Passenger "would consider 'Common Ground' a love song to humanity", Longdon agreed that it is.
-Longdon says his inspiration for this song was "the coming together of people."
Atlantic Cable
-"So, the first four minutes of Atlantic Cable was originally going to be on piano. Then Rikard got his big organ out again and changed everything." - Spawton
-NDV said this song "was an absolute blast to play drums on" and Spawton replied "We are gonna rock this live dude!"
-Dave Foster confirms that the guitar solo around 12-13 minutes in is his performance.
-Spawton "sat next to Dave (Foster) while he played this fast guitar solo on Atlantic Cable at Real World (Studios). Jaw-dropping."
-"These closing words of Atlantic Cable are based on a quote from Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, a Roman governor in the 4th century." - Spawton
Endnotes
-Spawton confirms that this song "is indeed for my beautiful wife, Kathy."
-It is noted that "cabbage white" and "chalk hill blue" are types of butterflies.
-When asked if, based on the song's title, "Endnotes" was always intended to be the album closer, Spawton replied "yes, that was always the plan."
-"The second chorus of Endnotes is a number of simple statements about enjoying life. Sometimes choruses need to be direct and simple." - Spawton
-"I hold the bass pedal on a single note here for nearly a minute to build up some tension until David sings the final word of the album." - Spawton
-"When asked if the final lyric "Down the river / to the sea" was a reference to the band's first demo, Greg replied "it's all connected, yes."
....Whew! Hope the few BBT fans here find this insteresting, especially for those of you who did not make it to the listening party (which may have been everyone here but me lol).
-Marc.
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Thanks for the write-up! Not a huge fan of the lower register in the beginning of All The Love... It just doesn't have an appealing sound to me. Dandelion Clock and Atlantic Cable are the big standouts for me. I think AC might actually be my favorite of their longer tracks at this point.
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Thanks for the write-up! Not a huge fan of the lower register in the beginning of All The Love... It just doesn't have an appealing sound to me. Dandelion Clock and Atlantic Cable are the big standouts for me. I think AC might actually be my favorite of their longer tracks at this point.
"Atlantic Cable" is definitely working its way up there for me as one of their best epics in that 12-17 minute range that is long enough to feel like a big epic but not quite long enough to be side-length (which so far, only seems to be "The Underfall Yard" for the band).
I'd say I'd put AC up there with the likes of "Victorian Brickwork", "East Coast Racer", "A Mead Hall In Winter" and "Voyager". Grand Tour had a whooping THREE big songs with the aforementioned "Voyager", as well as "Roman Stone" and "Ariel", the latter of which I quite enjoy as well. Both "Brooklands" and "Brave Captain" are great tracks as well. OH, and how can I forget "The Wide Open Sea", which I haven't listened to very often lately, so I may have to change that very soon!
Honestly, a lot of what Big Big Train writes in that range of 12-17 minutes tends to be some of their best work, though that isn't to say they don't make killer songs that are shorter than that.
-Marc.
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Thanks for the write-up! Not a huge fan of the lower register in the beginning of All The Love... It just doesn't have an appealing sound to me. Dandelion Clock and Atlantic Cable are the big standouts for me. I think AC might actually be my favorite of their longer tracks at this point.
"Atlantic Cable" is definitely working its way up there for me as one of their best epics in that 12-17 minute range that is long enough to feel like a big epic but not quite long enough to be side-length (which so far, only seems to be "The Underfall Yard" for the band).
I'd say I'd put AC up there with the likes of "Victorian Brickwork", "East Coast Racer", "A Mead Hall In Winter" and "Voyager". Grand Tour had a whooping THREE big songs with the aforementioned "Voyager", as well as "Roman Stone" and "Ariel", the latter of which I quite enjoy as well. Both "Brooklands" and "Brave Captain" are great tracks as well. OH, and how can I forget "The Wide Open Sea", which I haven't listened to very often lately, so I may have to change that very soon!
Honestly, a lot of what Big Big Train writes in that range of 12-17 minutes tends to be some of their best work, though that isn't to say they don't make killer songs that are shorter than that.
-Marc.
Honestly, I'm still a little underwhelmed by Atlantic Cable, and I think it's my least favorite track on the album. Which is pretty much a first for me as far as Greg Spawton penned epics go. There are some really great instrumental bits, but the vocal melodies aren't very engaging and I find myself checking out whenever David is singing. I had a similar reaction to Roman Stone, which did grow on me a lot over time, so that may happen with this one as well. But I also think of Roman Stone as one of the less successful GS epics. Thankfully, Endnotes closes the album on a high note.
I'll also add to the 12-17 minute epics, Perfect Cosmic Storm, Pick Up If You're There, and Saltwater Falling on Uneven Ground from The difference machine. And it doesn't quite reach 12 minutes, but Albion Perfide is one of my favorite early BBT tracks at a little over 10 minutes. The Shipping Forecast is another from English Boy Wonders that I love that's just over 10 minutes.
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Thanks for the write-up! Not a huge fan of the lower register in the beginning of All The Love... It just doesn't have an appealing sound to me. Dandelion Clock and Atlantic Cable are the big standouts for me. I think AC might actually be my favorite of their longer tracks at this point.
"Atlantic Cable" is definitely working its way up there for me as one of their best epics in that 12-17 minute range that is long enough to feel like a big epic but not quite long enough to be side-length (which so far, only seems to be "The Underfall Yard" for the band).
I'd say I'd put AC up there with the likes of "Victorian Brickwork", "East Coast Racer", "A Mead Hall In Winter" and "Voyager". Grand Tour had a whooping THREE big songs with the aforementioned "Voyager", as well as "Roman Stone" and "Ariel", the latter of which I quite enjoy as well. Both "Brooklands" and "Brave Captain" are great tracks as well. OH, and how can I forget "The Wide Open Sea", which I haven't listened to very often lately, so I may have to change that very soon!
Honestly, a lot of what Big Big Train writes in that range of 12-17 minutes tends to be some of their best work, though that isn't to say they don't make killer songs that are shorter than that.
-Marc.
Honestly, I'm still a little underwhelmed by Atlantic Cable, and I think it's my least favorite track on the album. Which is pretty much a first for me as far as Greg Spawton penned epics go. There are some really great instrumental bits, but the vocal melodies aren't very engaging and I find myself checking out whenever David is singing. I had a similar reaction to Roman Stone, which did grow on me a lot over time, so that may happen with this one as well. But I also think of Roman Stone as one of the less successful GS epics. Thankfully, Endnotes closes the album on a high note.
I'll also add to the 12-17 minute epics, Perfect Cosmic Storm, Pick Up If You're There, and Saltwater Falling on Uneven Ground from The difference machine. And it doesn't quite reach 12 minutes, but Albion Perfide is one of my favorite early BBT tracks at a little over 10 minutes. The Shipping Forecast is another from English Boy Wonders that I love that's just over 10 minutes.
The Pre-Longdon epics are pretty good, and I've often hoped that they might have tackled two or three of them for the possibly-defunct Station Masters compilation that saw the then-English Electric line-up of the band re-record older songs from before The Underfall Yard. I would have loved to have heard that line-up play the older material, and so far, I think the most we've gotten has been "Kingmaker", "Wind Distorted Pioneers", and "Summer's Lease".
I did think about the longer songs on TDM, though, but since most folks typically just speak about the Longdon-Era works, I didn't mention them, though they are definitely really good songs. I would not mind the whole album being re-recorded with Longdon and Sjoblom as part of the line-up, both of whom I think could add a LOT to those songs, but I think the band have been all about moving forward for many years now, so I doubt that'll happen. Heck, it's taken this long for them to revisit Bard for re-release when all of their pre-Longdon albums have gotten remasters and releases over a decade ago!
-Marc.
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So I watched the first episode of Journey of the Passengers tonight. Wasn't sure it was something I'd be interested in (it's a fan-made documentary of the last tour), but so far there's a ton of great footage of the band in rehearsals and live with some commentary from Greg Spawton. The footage with fans isn't all that interesting so far, but worth watching nonetheless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWUK4t9n5yQ
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
You are going to get a lot of opinions on this. My first toe in the pool was English Electric.
Welcome aboard, it's a great ride.
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
You are going to get a lot of opinions on this. My first toe in the pool was English Electric.
Welcome aboard, it's a great ride.
I knew a few things before then, but English Electric was my first CD as well and would be an excellent entry point. That said, I usually recommend starting with The Underfall Yard (recently remixed and reissued) and then just working your way forward chronologically. The run of The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, and English Electric is tremendous. But it’s all good so you can’t really go wrong wherever you want to start.
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
You are going to get a lot of opinions on this. My first toe in the pool was English Electric.
Welcome aboard, it's a great ride.
I knew a few things before then, but English Electric was my first CD as well and would be an excellent entry point. That said, I usually recommend starting with The Underfall Yard (recently remixed and reissued) and then just working your way forward chronologically. The run of The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, and English Electric is tremendous. But it’s all good so you can’t really go wrong wherever you want to start.
Great, thanks for the info! I'll check all three of those out.
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
You are going to get a lot of opinions on this. My first toe in the pool was English Electric.
Welcome aboard, it's a great ride.
I knew a few things before then, but English Electric was my first CD as well and would be an excellent entry point. That said, I usually recommend starting with The Underfall Yard (recently remixed and reissued) and then just working your way forward chronologically. The run of The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, and English Electric is tremendous. But it’s all good so you can’t really go wrong wherever you want to start.
Great, thanks for the info! I'll check all three of those out.
Enjoy the journey! Look forward to seeing your thoughts if you're inclined to report back.
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
I recently embarked on a BBT discovery too - and the good people in this thread had some very useful info and recommendations :) I'm taking it slow and digesting the material before proceeding, but I can say that The Underfall Yard (which I already had, but didn't spend a ton of time with) and English Electric Full Power are fantastic albums. Great sound, great playing. They are at the same time easy on the ears and, of course, full of details to discover over multiple listens...
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So I'm new to BBT. I really enjoy everything I've heard, but do not own any of their albums. Where do you guys suggest I start?
As the others have said, I would also highly suggest starting at The Underfall Yard. It was the band's first album with current frontman/lead vocalist/flautist David Longdon, who has a bit of Peter Gabriel energy to his voice, but definitely has his own sound. Fun fact about David Longdon - he was on the list of folks who tried out to replace Phil Collins in Genesis back in the 90s. Can you imagine if David and Nick (D'Virgilio) had been full-time members of Genesis in the late 90s, how different the trajectory of prog rock might have gone at the turn of the century? BBT might not exist as it does now and we may have gotten more Genesis albums past 1997!
Back to BBT, their 2009 album The Underfall Yard features the band taking some of their heavier, darker tones from their previous album (The Difference Machine) but infusing it with a bit of pastoral English feel (not unlike early Genesis), and the amalgamation of talents involved created such a powerful album. The same could be said for the follow-ups, English Electric (Parts One and Two, or both combined with four new songs from the Make Some Noise EP, titled English Electric Full Power). To me, EEFP is their crowning achievement as a whole, not a weak track out of those 19 songs.
I also can't neglect the wonderful EP, Far Skies Deep Time, which forms a sort of companion release to TUY (and TDM, as it features some leftovers from that album as well). To me, the run of The Underfall Yard / Far Skies Deep Time / English Electric Full Power is one of the best runs in any band's discography. That isn't to say the run of Folklore / Grimspound / The Second Brightest Star isn't fantastic either, but those songs all feel like their own era of the band as well, which sees the band furthering their historically-influenced lyrical and narrative content.
I think if you can make it through all of those albums, getting to 2019's Grand Tour and this year's Common Ground should be an easy digest. They're both a bit different from each other, and different than what came before, but both see the band evolving their sound into new directions, both musically and lyrically. In the time between Grand Tour and Common Ground, however, the band lost 3 key band members, dropping down to four for the main writing of Common Ground, but they have since augmented their sound with new players for the studio and live stage.
-Marc.
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Great, thanks for the additional info. I'll be sure to check back in here after I've had some time to digest some of these albums. Thanks again to everyone who responded!
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Well, inspired by the recent posts in the thread, I made my next step in BBG's discography with Folklore...
First of all, and I might be repeating myself, this truly sounds amazing. It's pretty much ear candy, great production to my ears. Second, I've listened only once, but I loved it. Probably the catchiest of their albums I've heard so far...I mean, there's plenty of catchy moments in English Electric and The Underfall Yard, but Folklore is a lovely listen throughout. It might not be as wide ranging of an achievement as EEFP, but it's great.
I see on their Bandcamp page they are selling the digital hi-res version of the album that includes the complete Wassail EP. Is that the only way to get it other than vinyl? No CD version?
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Well, inspired by the recent posts in the thread, I made my next step in BBG's discography with Folklore...
First of all, and I might be repeating myself, this truly sounds amazing. It's pretty much ear candy, great production to my ears. Second, I've listened only once, but I loved it. Probably the catchiest of their albums I've heard so far...I mean, there's plenty of catchy moments in English Electric and The Underfall Yard, but Folklore is a lovely listen throughout. It might not be as wide ranging of an achievement as EEFP, but it's great.
I see on their Bandcamp page they are selling the digital hi-res version of the album that includes the complete Wassail EP. Is that the only way to get it other than vinyl? No CD version?
Do you mean the CD of Folklore or the Wassail EP? It’s not always easy to find any of the CDs past the last few releases, but it looks like Amazon in the US has some of Folklore through various vendors. Burning Shed is their official UK shop and it has both Folklore and Wassail in stock still
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/big-big-train_folklore_cd
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/Big-Big-Train-Wassail-EP
Band Wagon is their official US shop, but they don’t go back as far as Folklore. Can get everything since from them though.
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
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I see on their Bandcamp page they are selling the digital hi-res version of the album that includes the complete Wassail EP. Is that the only way to get it other than vinyl? No CD version?
When Folklore was released, it was just 9 songs and only had Wassail on it from the previously released Wassail EP. The intention was that "Lost Rivers Of London" and "Mudlarks" were exclusive to the EP, but were later revealed to be added to the vinyl track list. They also made that version of the tracklist available for digital download on their Bandcamp, but the only 11-track version of the album on physical media is on vinyl. All CD versions of Folklore only have 9 songs. Of course you could download the 11-track version from Bandcamp and burn them onto 2 CDr's (which I did many years ago).
-Marc.
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BBT snuck some new stuff on us overnight. A new song, The Connection Plan, and part 1 of a six-part documentary series The Story of the Passengers is up on Youtube .
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https://www.nickdvirgilio.com/news/big-big-train-shares-new-track-the-connection-plan/
Hot on the heels of the release of their UK Top 35 album “Common Ground”, comes the release of “The Connection Plan”, a brand new track from Big Big Train
Big Big Train’s Greg Spawton explains why there is brand new material coming out under a month after they released a new album ”In the lead-up to our tours in 2022, we wanted to share a series of single streaming releases. The ‘Stay Tuned’ streaming series will feature newly recorded compositions, we hope listeners will enjoy them”.<
Check out “The Connection Plan” below.
The band recently released the album “Common Ground” which sees the the band taking in wider musical and lyrical inspiration from artists such as Elbow, Pete Townshend, Tears For Fears, Elton John and XTC, as well as acknowledging their more progressive roots. As ever, Big Big Train will take listeners on a journey, be it waiting for the UK 5pm pandemic press conferences (’The Strangest Times’) to the library of Alexandria (‘Black With Ink’) to the bottom of the ocean (‘Atlantic Cable’).
For the ‘Common Ground’ tour, which will be their most extensive to date and which will culminate in the UK with a show at the prestigious London Palladium, Greg Spawton (bass), David Longdon (lead vocals, flute), Nick D’Virgilio (drums, vocals) and Rikard Sjöblom (guitars, keyboards, vocals) will be joined by Carly Bryant (keyboards, guitars, vocals), who contributes vocals to ‘Common Ground’, Dave Foster (guitars), who plays on two tracks on the new album, Clare Lindley (violin, vocals) and by a five piece brass ensemble. The band expect to announce North American tour dates shortly.
UK Tour March 2022 tickets on sale now HERE.
https://youtu.be/hQlJIdPQPu0
Very interesting song, quite unique for the band! Looking forward to what else they've got in this series of new songs!
-Marc.
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That’s a pleasant surprise. Will give it a spin soon!
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Do you mean the CD of Folklore or the Wassail EP? It’s not always easy to find any of the CDs past the last few releases, but it looks like Amazon in the US has some of Folklore through various vendors. Burning Shed is their official UK shop and it has both Folklore and Wassail in stock still
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/big-big-train_folklore_cd
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/Big-Big-Train-Wassail-EP
Band Wagon is their official US shop, but they don’t go back as far as Folklore. Can get everything since from them though.
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
Thank you for the info - I was curious to see if they had released the CD version with the same expanded tracklist as the vinyl (including the two songs of the Wassail EP other than the title track)...
When Folklore was released, it was just 9 songs and only had Wassail on it from the previously released Wassail EP. The intention was that "Lost Rivers Of London" and "Mudlarks" were exclusive to the EP, but were later revealed to be added to the vinyl track list. They also made that version of the tracklist available for digital download on their Bandcamp, but the only 11-track version of the album on physical media is on vinyl. All CD versions of Folklore only have 9 songs. Of course you could download the 11-track version from Bandcamp and burn them onto 2 CDr's (which I did many years ago).
-Marc.
...so I guess they haven't ;D I'll probably go ahead with the digital expanded version, then...
Thanks to the both of you!
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Ah, I see what you were asking. I have made playlists before with the two extra Wassail tracks included on Folklore in the past. Maybe they'll re-issue an expanded version of Folklore at some point in the future. You can also check out London Song (can be downloaded at Bandcamp), which puts London Plane (with an expanded intro), Lost Rivers of London, and Mudlarks together with two other pieces about London as one 34 minute epic suite.
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Ah, I see what you were asking. I have made playlists before with the two extra Wassail tracks included on Folklore in the past. Maybe they'll re-issue an expanded version of Folklore at some point in the future. You can also check out London Song (can be downloaded at Bandcamp), which puts London Plane (with an expanded intro), Lost Rivers of London, and Mudlarks together with two other pieces about London as one 34 minute epic suite.
"London Song" is also prominently featured on last year's compilation album, Summer's Lease, released in Japan on the Belle Antique label. That version, the only one released on physical media/CD, features further additional instrumentation to help smooth-out the transitions between songs in the suite, and it just sounds better IMO, but the version on Bandcamp is free/pay-what-you-like, and definitely worth a listen!
-Marc.
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Great, thanks for the additional info. I'll be sure to check back in here after I've had some time to digest some of these albums. Thanks again to everyone who responded!
Thought I'd update you guys on my BBT discovery. I picked up The Underfall Yard and I've got about 5 or 6 complete listens under my belt. Not enough to pick up on all the nuances, but enough to know this album is absolutely awesome! Total ear candy indeed. I love all the layers and the very lush sound overall. Loving Nick's drumming and David's voice (he does indeed have an almost bizarre mix of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel sound to his voice). I'm also really loving what the horns and woodwinds add to the sound - and feel they really use them in the right places to their maximum effect. I'm thinking I'll pick up English Electric: Full Power next - or is it best to pick them up separately and experience them one at a time?
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Great, thanks for the additional info. I'll be sure to check back in here after I've had some time to digest some of these albums. Thanks again to everyone who responded!
Thought I'd update you guys on my BBT discovery. I picked up The Underfall Yard and I've got about 5 or 6 complete listens under my belt. Not enough to pick up on all the nuances, but enough to know this album is absolutely awesome! Total ear candy indeed. I love all the layers and the very lush sound overall. Loving Nick's drumming and David's voice (he does indeed have an almost bizarre mix of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel sound to his voice). I'm also really loving what the horns and woodwinds add to the sound - and feel they really use them in the right places to their maximum effect. I'm thinking I'll pick up English Electric: Full Power next - or is it best to pick them up separately and experience them one at a time?
Awesome! I agree the mix of Collins and Gabriel in Longdon’s voice was really remarkable. I would say over the years he’s settled a bit lower to where he sounds more like Gabriel now, but on TUY it was uncanny how you could kind of hear both.
I have actually never heard the individual EE albums. I guess you could do it either way, but there are additional tracks on the Full Power version that aren’t on the other two. Some prefer it without them (the opener Come On Make Sole Noise is a bit of a stylistic departure for the band, but a fun song!), but I think they are all great so either way you can’t go wrong.
Also, Far Skies Deep Time came in between TUY and EE, if you want to go chronologically. EE is a fine next step, but FSDT is also a must hear at some point IMO.
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Great, thanks for the additional info. I'll be sure to check back in here after I've had some time to digest some of these albums. Thanks again to everyone who responded!
Thought I'd update you guys on my BBT discovery. I picked up The Underfall Yard and I've got about 5 or 6 complete listens under my belt. Not enough to pick up on all the nuances, but enough to know this album is absolutely awesome! Total ear candy indeed. I love all the layers and the very lush sound overall. Loving Nick's drumming and David's voice (he does indeed have an almost bizarre mix of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel sound to his voice). I'm also really loving what the horns and woodwinds add to the sound - and feel they really use them in the right places to their maximum effect.
Really happy to hear you are enjoying the band! The Underfall Yard is definitely a landmark album for the band, and David adds SO much to the overall sound of the band, not just for his voice, but also his flute playing as well. And yeah, David does have a very Genesis-esque voice, which really shapes the band's sound to be a bit more familiar but also fresh at the same time. It still amuses me that David had auditioned for Genesis after Phil quit, and that Nick played drums on their last album (...Calling All Stations...) - in an alternate reality, both Nick and David would have joined Genesis with Tony and Mike and may have carried on the band for a few more albums!
I'm thinking I'll pick up English Electric: Full Power next - or is it best to pick them up separately and experience them one at a time?
If you're going to continue chronologically, I would suggest checking out Far Skies Deep Time next before moving on to any of the English Electric stuff. Far Skies Deep Time is an album-length EP with songs that were leftover from their previous two albums' sessions, all recorded by the line-up that made The Underfall Yard, including the 17-minute epic "The Wide Open Sea". I say it's an album-length EP because every version of the disc has been at least 40 minute. It was originally released as a five-track album, with two different opening tracks: "Master Of Time" is a reworking of an old song by Anthony Phillips (from the first two Genesis albums), and "Kingmaker" is a reworking of a very early Big Big Train song released on one of their first demo CDs before their debut, but now expanded into a 10-minute epic. A more recent re-release of FSDT in 2017 takes all six tracks and puts them onto one album, which is what I would suggest to listen to next! You can find FSDT on the band's bandcamp, but it doesn't include "Master Of Time".
Likewise, you can also find both English Electric Parts One and Two on their bandcamp (in standard and hi-resolution audio), but also the Full Power compilation of the two albums (which includes all four new songs released on the stand-alone EP Make Some Noise, including the title track which became the opening song on Full Power). There is also a hi-resolution audio version of English Electric: Full Power, though I don't think it's the 2016 Remix/Remaster they released five years ago, but I'm sure it's still just as good to hear.
Definitely give yourself some time to digest EEFP as it's two hours and fifteen minutes long, but one of the best albums I've ever heard in my life. There's a LOT to take in through its 19 songs, but there are some stand-outs like "The First Rebreather", "Swan Hunter", "Summoned By Bells", "Judas Unrepentant", and "East Coast Racer" (the longest track on the album clocking in at nearly 16 minutes). The album is full of pastoral-English settings, historical scenes, some biographical stories, and just great playing all around for every member of the band. Give yourself some time to take it all in before moving on to further BBT albums, though, as repeated listens to EEFP will be very rewarding!
-Marc.
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Great, thanks for the additional info. I'll be sure to check back in here after I've had some time to digest some of these albums. Thanks again to everyone who responded!
Thought I'd update you guys on my BBT discovery. I picked up The Underfall Yard and I've got about 5 or 6 complete listens under my belt. Not enough to pick up on all the nuances, but enough to know this album is absolutely awesome! Total ear candy indeed. I love all the layers and the very lush sound overall. Loving Nick's drumming and David's voice (he does indeed have an almost bizarre mix of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel sound to his voice). I'm also really loving what the horns and woodwinds add to the sound - and feel they really use them in the right places to their maximum effect. I'm thinking I'll pick up English Electric: Full Power next - or is it best to pick them up separately and experience them one at a time?
Awesome! I agree the mix of Collins and Gabriel in Longdon’s voice was really remarkable. I would say over the years he’s settled a bit lower to where he sounds more like Gabriel now, but on TUY it was uncanny how you could kind of hear both.
Yes, when he goes up into his higher register is when he sounds like Phil Collins
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Great, thanks for the additional info. I'll be sure to check back in here after I've had some time to digest some of these albums. Thanks again to everyone who responded!
Thought I'd update you guys on my BBT discovery. I picked up The Underfall Yard and I've got about 5 or 6 complete listens under my belt. Not enough to pick up on all the nuances, but enough to know this album is absolutely awesome! Total ear candy indeed. I love all the layers and the very lush sound overall. Loving Nick's drumming and David's voice (he does indeed have an almost bizarre mix of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel sound to his voice). I'm also really loving what the horns and woodwinds add to the sound - and feel they really use them in the right places to their maximum effect.
Really happy to hear you are enjoying the band! The Underfall Yard is definitely a landmark album for the band, and David adds SO much to the overall sound of the band, not just for his voice, but also his flute playing as well. And yeah, David does have a very Genesis-esque voice, which really shapes the band's sound to be a bit more familiar but also fresh at the same time. It still amuses me that David had auditioned for Genesis after Phil quit, and that Nick played drums on their last album (...Calling All Stations...) - in an alternate reality, both Nick and David would have joined Genesis with Tony and Mike and may have carried on the band for a few more albums!
I'm thinking I'll pick up English Electric: Full Power next - or is it best to pick them up separately and experience them one at a time?
If you're going to continue chronologically, I would suggest checking out Far Skies Deep Time next before moving on to any of the English Electric stuff. Far Skies Deep Time is an album-length EP with songs that were leftover from their previous two albums' sessions, all recorded by the line-up that made The Underfall Yard, including the 17-minute epic "The Wide Open Sea". I say it's an album-length EP because every version of the disc has been at least 40 minute. It was originally released as a five-track album, with two different opening tracks: "Master Of Time" is a reworking of an old song by Anthony Phillips (from the first two Genesis albums), and "Kingmaker" is a reworking of a very early Big Big Train song released on one of their first demo CDs before their debut, but now expanded into a 10-minute epic. A more recent re-release of FSDT in 2017 takes all six tracks and puts them onto one album, which is what I would suggest to listen to next! You can find FSDT on the band's bandcamp, but it doesn't include "Master Of Time".
Thanks for all the info and I think this sounds like the best plan (pick up Far Skies Deep Time and live with that and The Underfall Yard for awhile before moving on to English Electric). Any idea where I can find a download of the 6 track version? A quick check on iTunes shows they only have the 5 track version as well.
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I forgot you can’t download the recent re-mix of Far Skies Deep Time with all 6 tracks. Not even on Bandcamp. There’s some sort of licensing issue with the cover of Anthony Phillips’ Master of Time if I recall right (which is a really great cover too). It’s worth tracking down the CD, but not sure there’s any way to stream/download it.
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I forgot you can’t download the recent re-mix of Far Skies Deep Time with all 6 tracks. Not even on Bandcamp. There’s some sort of licensing issue with the cover of Anthony Phillips’ Master of Time if I recall right (which is a really great cover too). It’s worth tracking down the CD, but not sure there’s any way to stream/download it.
OK, got it. Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can find the CD - if not probably the iTunes download (already have money there ready to spend) Lol.
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Hey The Letter M, I got your PM thank you. Tried to reply but says your inbox is full
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Hey The Letter M, I got your PM thank you. Tried to reply but says your inbox is full
Ahh thanks for the heads up. I hadn't noticed it was full! Just cleared it up a bit. :tup
-Marc.
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So I've updated the top-post with some information for new fans, and for fans who might not know where to find some information about the band. If anyone has any suggestions to add to the top post, let me know! I hope it'll be helpful for new and casual fans who might not be as deep into the Train as I have been for the last 9 years! :lol
-Marc.
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New standalone track released this morning called Lanterna.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-stream-brand-new-song-lanterna
Beginning is a refrain from Atlantic Cable, but the middle section is kind of nice and crunchy. I like it so far.
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New standalone track released this morning called Lanterna.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-stream-brand-new-song-lanterna
Beginning is a refrain from Atlantic Cable, but the middle section is kind of nice and crunchy. I like it so far.
Listened to it and promptly purchased it from Amazon. This series of "Stay Tuned" non-album songs is a brilliant move by the band, and I've been enjoying them. I'm hoping they eventually release all these songs on a CD!
-Marc.
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I'm not a fan of only digital releases as I love collecting physical mediums so I also hope they release these songs as an EP eventually.
Both songs are good, not mind-blowing though. I think, both songs would have made a better opener to Common Ground than Strangest Times. Either one of them in that spot would have also made CG a rounder and better album in my opinion.
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I'm not a fan of only digital releases as I love collecting physical mediums so I also hope they release these songs as an EP eventually.
Both songs are good, not mind-blowing though. I think, both songs would have made a better opener to Common Ground than Strangest Times. Either one of them in that spot would have also made CG a rounder and better album in my opinion.
I’ve enjoyed both new songs, Lanterna a bit more than Connection Plan probably. Not sure they would improve the album or not, since I think it’s already pretty perfect. They kind of feel appropriate as leftovers (or back in the day, as B-sides). If there is a broader double album concept they plan to release at some point though, maybe they would help flesh out the album theme. My guess is eventually they release a companion disc similar to Far Skies Deep Time with all of these Stay Tuned tracks, perhaps right on the eve of the tour. Sending them out one track at a time does give them an excuse to get the tour mentioned in Louder Sound every few weeks at least.
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I'm not a fan of only digital releases as I love collecting physical mediums so I also hope they release these songs as an EP eventually.
Both songs are good, not mind-blowing though. I think, both songs would have made a better opener to Common Ground than Strangest Times. Either one of them in that spot would have also made CG a rounder and better album in my opinion.
I’ve enjoyed both new songs, Lanterna a bit more than Connection Plan probably. Not sure they would improve the album or not, since I think it’s already pretty perfect. They kind of feel appropriate as leftovers (or back in the day, as B-sides). If there is a broader double album concept they plan to release at some point though, maybe they would help flesh out the album theme. My guess is eventually they release a companion disc similar to Far Skies Deep Time with all of these Stay Tuned tracks, perhaps right on the eve of the tour. Sending them out one track at a time does give them an excuse to get the tour mentioned in Louder Sound every few weeks at least.
I'm sure that was the idea - releasing these non-album singles one at a time, and it seems like they've released them four weeks apart, so I suspect the third single will be released on October 19th (then more on November 16th, December 14th, and maybe January 11th if there is a sixth song. I could see them releasing a CD with all of them in February or March just before the UK tour begins on March 15th (with copies to sell at their shows).
Assuming all of the music is already recorded, mixed, and mastered, they've probably got them all ready to be pressed on CD and maybe Vinyl, which might be good given the delays and slowed production of music these days. I would love to see a short pre-order-to-release window like they did with The Second Brightest Star, which was released only days after it went up for order!
-Marc.
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Wanted to post an update on my BBT discovery. I was able to score a copy of Far Skies Deep Time, and after about 5 complete listens, I absolutely love it! Right now I "think" I like The Underfall Yard better, but both are incredible!. I feel like The Underfall Yard might be a bit more "polished", if that makes sense? I know there's still a lot for me to discover with both of them, that will only come with more listens. Right now I have these two BBT releases, along with the new NMB album, on constant rotation. My plan is to live with these a couple more weeks until the new DT is released. Then after I have a good grasp on the new DT, I'll go ahead and move onto the English Electric stuff. At this point I think its safe to say I'm more looking forward to discovering English Electric than I am the new DT LOL. But patience is key, and all good things will come to those who wait..
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Wanted to post an update on my BBT discovery. I was able to score a copy of Far Skies Deep Time, and after about 5 complete listens, I absolutely love it! Right now I "think" I like The Underfall Yard better, but both are incredible!. I feel like The Underfall Yard might be a bit more "polished", if that makes sense? I know there's still a lot for me to discover with both of them, that will only come with more listens. Right now I have these two BBT releases, along with the new NMB album, on constant rotation. My plan is to live with these a couple more weeks until the new DT is released. Then after I have a good grasp on the new DT, I'll go ahead and move onto the English Electric stuff. At this point I think its safe to say I'm more looking forward to discovering English Electric than I am the new DT LOL. But patience is key, and all good things will come to those who wait..
Folklore is really good. I was just listening to it earlier this week. Along the Ridgeway/Salisbury Giant is one that hasn’t gotten played live and just feels a little under recognized. But I love the mood of that whole piece, and Salisbury Giant is just excellent, with a touch of that Apocolyose in 9/8 feel to it. Brooklands is also wonderful. Then you have sole that have become fan favorites like Transit of Venus, Wassail, and Winkie. I love the performance of Winkie on the Empire blu ray (you can find that one on YouTube). I also think London Plane is one of Greg’s best epics and best lyrics altogether.
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Wanted to post an update on my BBT discovery. I was able to score a copy of Far Skies Deep Time, and after about 5 complete listens, I absolutely love it! Right now I "think" I like The Underfall Yard better, but both are incredible!. I feel like The Underfall Yard might be a bit more "polished", if that makes sense? I know there's still a lot for me to discover with both of them, that will only come with more listens. Right now I have these two BBT releases, along with the new NMB album, on constant rotation. My plan is to live with these a couple more weeks until the new DT is released. Then after I have a good grasp on the new DT, I'll go ahead and move onto the English Electric stuff. At this point I think its safe to say I'm more looking forward to discovering English Electric than I am the new DT LOL. But patience is key, and all good things will come to those who wait..
Happy to hear that you've been continuing to enjoy TUY and FSDT! They're a really great place to start the BBT journey! I think if you really like those two albums from BBT, you'll really dig the English Electric-era stuff (Part 1, Part 2, and the Make Some Noise EP, or the compilation of all three in the English Electric Full Power 2-disc set).
-Marc.
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Wanted to post an update on my BBT discovery. I was able to score a copy of Far Skies Deep Time, and after about 5 complete listens, I absolutely love it! Right now I "think" I like The Underfall Yard better, but both are incredible!. I feel like The Underfall Yard might be a bit more "polished", if that makes sense? I know there's still a lot for me to discover with both of them, that will only come with more listens. Right now I have these two BBT releases, along with the new NMB album, on constant rotation. My plan is to live with these a couple more weeks until the new DT is released. Then after I have a good grasp on the new DT, I'll go ahead and move onto the English Electric stuff. At this point I think its safe to say I'm more looking forward to discovering English Electric than I am the new DT LOL. But patience is key, and all good things will come to those who wait..
Folklore is really good. I was just listening to it earlier this week. Along the Ridgeway/Salisbury Giant is one that hasn’t gotten played live and just feels a little under recognized. But I love the mood of that whole piece, and Salisbury Giant is just excellent, with a touch of that Apocolyose in 9/8 feel to it. Brooklands is also wonderful. Then you have sole that have become fan favorites like Transit of Venus, Wassail, and Winkie. I love the performance of Winkie on the Empire blu ray (you can find that one on YouTube). I also think London Plane is one of Greg’s best epics and best lyrics altogether.
How did I read your post as saying Folklore? Woops!
Glad you are digging FSDT. It’s just a little below TUY for me, but it’s is really really good. You’re gonna love English Electric when you get to it.
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Wanted to post an update on my BBT discovery. I was able to score a copy of Far Skies Deep Time, and after about 5 complete listens, I absolutely love it! Right now I "think" I like The Underfall Yard better, but both are incredible!. I feel like The Underfall Yard might be a bit more "polished", if that makes sense? I know there's still a lot for me to discover with both of them, that will only come with more listens. Right now I have these two BBT releases, along with the new NMB album, on constant rotation. My plan is to live with these a couple more weeks until the new DT is released. Then after I have a good grasp on the new DT, I'll go ahead and move onto the English Electric stuff. At this point I think its safe to say I'm more looking forward to discovering English Electric than I am the new DT LOL. But patience is key, and all good things will come to those who wait..
Folklore is really good. I was just listening to it earlier this week. Along the Ridgeway/Salisbury Giant is one that hasn’t gotten played live and just feels a little under recognized. But I love the mood of that whole piece, and Salisbury Giant is just excellent, with a touch of that Apocolyose in 9/8 feel to it. Brooklands is also wonderful. Then you have sole that have become fan favorites like Transit of Venus, Wassail, and Winkie. I love the performance of Winkie on the Empire blu ray (you can find that one on YouTube). I also think London Plane is one of Greg’s best epics and best lyrics altogether.
How did I read your post as saying Folklore? Woops!
Glad you are digging FSDT. It’s just a little below TUY for me, but it’s is really really good. You’re gonna love English Electric when you get to it.
Lol, no worries... I'll probably check out Folklore after English Electric.
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https://youtu.be/SCJbOlUNQVs
"Made From Sunshine", the third digital single in the Stay Tuned series.
-Marc.
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https://youtu.be/SCJbOlUNQVs
"Made From Sunshine", the third digital single in the Stay Tuned series.
-Marc.
Damn you are fast :lol
I can't listen to it right now since I'm in a seminar but I'm looking forward to listening to this! I'm not a huge fan of this form of releasing music (I'm more of an album guy) so I hope these songs will be release on all physical formats at some point.
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Well we did have an album released less than 3 months ago so...
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Well we did have an album released less than 3 months ago so...
Yes but now we have three songs that don't belong anywhere but are just... out there. Don't know, maybe I am just a little pedantic :lol
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https://youtu.be/SCJbOlUNQVs
"Made From Sunshine", the third digital single in the Stay Tuned series.
-Marc.
Damn you are fast :lol
LOL Well given the fact that the first two were released 4 weeks apart, I had already guessed the third song would release today (4 weeks after "Lanterna"), so I searched BBT late last night before going to bed and lo and behold, the new track was already up. In fact, the video must have been hidden for awhile because it was shown as having been uploaded "18 hours ago" by the time I found it after midnight.
I can't listen to it right now since I'm in a seminar but I'm looking forward to listening to this! I'm not a huge fan of this form of releasing music (I'm more of an album guy) so I hope these songs will be release on all physical formats at some point.
I'm sure the band have planned a physical release given their fanbase's propensity for collecting physical media, particularly vinyl. I'm willing to bet that they have enough songs for a single vinyl, so probably no more than 45-50 minutes of digital singles, which means we will probably get 3 or 4 more songs on Nov 16th, Dec 14th, Jan 11th, and possibly Feb 8th. It would be to see them release the physical format just before their tour begins in March as well, which could feature some of these "Stay Tuned" singles.
-Marc.
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Just gave Made for Sunshine a listen. I’m at work on poor speakers, but I really liked the overall sound of it. Really liked the trumpet like sounds (might have been a keyboard).
Probably the best of the three new tracks so far, but need to give it a closer listen. I’m giving these new tracks a minimal amount of attention in hopes that they will be part of a new release at some point soon. For now they are just kind of floating on the periphery of my BBT listening.
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Just gave Made for Sunshine a listen. I’m at work on poor speakers, but I really liked the overall sound of it. Really liked the trumpet like sounds (might have been a keyboard).
Probably the best of the three new tracks so far, but need to give it a closer listen. I’m giving these new tracks a minimal amount of attention in hopes that they will be part of a new release at some point soon. For now they are just kind of floating on the periphery of my BBT listening.
I listened to it once late last night before bed, on my phone, so it wasn't great quality and I wasn't very awake for it either, but I did go ahead and buy it on Amazon, as I did the other two, which I've listened to a few times since they were released, but I would like to listen to them as an album/EP set before giving them too much more attention. The band hasn't said how many more singles there will be, but when I bought "Made From Sunshine" on Amazon, it was listed like it was an EP with "Lanterna" and "Connection Plan" as a single album, so I wonder if this is it, or if this is just how they're bundling the songs for now? I also noticed the three songs were under one playlist on YouTube as well. Hmm...
-Marc.
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Big Big Train announce surprise new album Welcome To The Planet
(https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-announce-surprise-new-album-welcome-to-the-planet)
Big Big Train have announced they will release a brand new stdio album, Welcome To The Planet, through their English Electric Recordings label on January 28. You can see the band introduce the new-look line-up and talk about the new album in a video below.
The surprise new nine-track album arrives a mere six months after the release of the band’s critically acclaimed top 40 album Common Ground. You can see the new album artwork and tracklisting below.
“The experience of the pandemic has shown us that we need to make the best use of our time on Earth," explains Big Big Train founder Greg Spawton. "With that in mind and with new band members on board giving us a fresh head of steam, we decided on a speedy return to the studio to write and record Welcome To The Planet.”
The band had recently been streaming brand new material that hadn't featured on Common Ground, The Connection Plan, Lanterna and most recently Made From Sunshine, all of which feature on the new album.
New keyboard player Carly Bryant gets her first Big Big Train writing credit and lead vocal on the title track of Welcome To The Planet, which also sees much more involvement from fellow new members, violinist and vocalist Clare Lindley and guitarist Dave Foster.
Big Big Train will undertake their biggest UK tour in support of both Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet, with support from Mark Kelly's Marathon and from Lonely Robot, which culminates with a prestigious show at the London Palladium on March 23.
Pre-order Welcome To The Planet. (https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain)
Part One
1. Made From Sunshine
2. The Connection Plan
3. Lanterna
4. Capitoline Venus
5. A Room With No Ceiling
Part Two
6. Proper Jack Froster
7. Bats In The Belfry
8. Oak And Stone
9. Welcome To The Planet
(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/39qWa98kirPDPsLwWungpk-970-80.jpeg.webp)
Ahhhhhhhhh!
Edit - just ordered a CD/T-shirt bundle from Bandwagon USA (https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train). Cannot wait!
-Marc.
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Wow these guys are prolific :lol
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Kind of the worst kept secret, but I’m still pumped for a follow up so soon after Common Ground. Love that they are digging in and making new music while they can.
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Wow these guys are prolific :lol
Yeah, no kidding! There's barely been a year since 2009 that they haven't released SOMETHING, be it an LP, an EP, a single, a live album, a BD, or something digitally. Their prolific nature has been one of the reasons they've become one of my favorite bands after discovering them almost a decade ago.
Kind of the worst kept secret, but I’m still pumped for a follow up so soon after Common Ground. Love that they are digging in and making new music while they can.
Hah, I think almost every Passenger knew an album of some sort was coming, but it's awesome to know that we are getting a FULL 9-song album out of this! I wasn't expecting more than 5 or 6 songs, but getting 9 on a brand new full album less than a year after Common Ground is the best news I'll hear all week! They're definitely taking advantage of the pandemic to be very productive musically speaking, and it looks like the upcoming tour next year will feature songs from CG and WTTP, so I wonder just how many pre-Common Ground songs we will see in the setlists next year.
-Marc.
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STOP I haven't even been able to get Common Ground yet! :lol
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That snowflake/sunset shirt design is pretty cool. Would have made a nice album cover.
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BTW, for Passenger’s Club members, an old demo of Capitoline Venus is among the tracks available to members to stream/download. Greg sings the demo (and I kind of like his voice on it). Will be interesting to hear how much the song has changed.
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Tracks times from the Japanese/Belle Antique release:
Part One - 23:48
Made From Sunshine 4:05
The Connection Plan 3:55
Lanterna 6:29
Capitoline Venus 2:25
A Room With No Ceiling 4:54
Part Two - 25:25 (27:54 with bonus track)
Proper Jack Froster 6:38
Bats In The Belfry 4:54
Oak And Stone 7:12
Welcome To The Planet 6:40
Belle Antique Bonus (JP)
Endnotes Overture 2:29
A total of 49:13 (51:42 with the bonus track). Not bad! More new material than I expected from them so soon!
-Marc.
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There’s also a full blog entry on Made From Sunshine and some additional info about the album on the band’s website. Of note, A Room With No Ceiling (written by Rikard) and Bats in the Belfry (written by NDV) are both instrumental tracks.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/?fbclid=IwAR1ecaQVmMeF-q1X8SP9cZ5Td1P8c6Gw62jbnYTIM2R95wFq0FSo8JOBBwc#songstories
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There’s also a full blog entry on Made From Sunshine and some additional info about the album on the band’s website. Of note, A Room With No Ceiling (written by Rikard) and Bats in the Belfry (written by NDV) are both instrumental tracks.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/?fbclid=IwAR1ecaQVmMeF-q1X8SP9cZ5Td1P8c6Gw62jbnYTIM2R95wFq0FSo8JOBBwc#songstories
I'm very excited about hearing another NDV-penned instrumental! The last 3 have been some of my favorite BBT songs ("Pantheon", "Don't Forget The Telescope", and "Apollo"). Hopefully it also prominently features the brass band!
-Marc.
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The story behind "Lanterna" has been posted on the band's website (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/).
If you're a member of the band's Facebook forum, however, you may have already read how Greg came up with the idea for the song but he also mentions how he considered making "Lanterna" and "Atlantic Cable" one long song beforehand but decided against it and split them up.
-Marc.
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New single "Proper Jack Froster" has been released! (https://youtu.be/CuCdB_Kzebo)
According to a reply on FB, this is a Greg Spawton composition.
-Marc.
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New single "Proper Jack Froster" has been released! (https://youtu.be/CuCdB_Kzebo)
According to a reply on FB, this is a Greg Spawton composition.
-Marc.
Nice! Wasn’t expecting much else to be released before the album release, but it makes sense to get this one out there in time for winter.
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This video has been online a couple hours and only has 144 views, do I see this correctly? BBT is not a huge act, but shouldn't this number be a at least a little higher?
I won't listen to this song, but how do you guys like it?
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This video has been online a couple hours and only has 144 views, do I see this correctly? BBT is not a huge act, but shouldn't this number be a at least a little higher?
I won't listen to this song, but how do you guys like it?
Just gave it my first listen with headphones. Reminds me a bit of some 70s Collins era Genesis, has a really wonderful instrumental passage. The vocal melodies didn’t jump out at me, but maybe with more listens. Has a bit of a “let’s get all the band members in the spotlight for a minute” feel to it. Something that has been a bit of an issue for me since Folklore when the band starting adding more members. That’s a minor quibble at most.
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I've listened to it a few times now, as I've also slotted it into my "Christmastime" playlist/compilation of wintery BBT songs, and I've got to say I really enjoy it! Probably my favorite of the four songs released so far from the upcoming album!
I wasn't sure if they were going to release anymore songs once the preorders started, and now I'm wondering if any of the remaining five songs will get released (on December 14th and January 11th).
-Marc.
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Burning Shed has BBT and related releases on a discount right now if anyone is looking to round out their collection:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/big-big-train_sale?utm_source=Newsletter+18+11+2021&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter+18+11+2021
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Burning Shed has BBT and related releases on a discount right now if anyone is looking to round out their collection:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/big-big-train_sale?utm_source=Newsletter+18+11+2021&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter+18+11+2021
Nothing I don't already have but I will say, if you haven't gotten the Dyble Longdon album yet, you're missing out. It's a great BBT-esque project and even features some members of BBT on the album. If you get it, you also have to check out the bandcamp page that features two extra non-album tracks recorded at the same time - "The Daguerreotype" (https://dyblelongdon.bandcamp.com/track/the-daguerreotype) and "Crossbones" (http://=https://dyblelongdon.bandcamp.com/track/crossbones"Crossbones") - both sold at a name-your-price price (so free, if you'd like).
-Marc.
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Burning Shed has BBT and related releases on a discount right now if anyone is looking to round out their collection:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain/big-big-train_sale?utm_source=Newsletter+18+11+2021&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter+18+11+2021
Nothing I don't already have but I will say, if you haven't gotten the Dyble Longdon album yet, you're missing out. It's a great BBT-esque project and even features some members of BBT on the album. If you get it, you also have to check out the bandcamp page that features two extra non-album tracks recorded at the same time - "The Daguerreotype" (https://dyblelongdon.bandcamp.com/track/the-daguerreotype) and =https://dyblelongdon.bandcamp.com/track/crossbones"Crossbones" (http://=https://dyblelongdon.bandcamp.com/track/crossbones"Crossbones") - both sold at a name-your-price price (so free, if you'd like).
-Marc.
Definitely agree with this!
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This is horrible. David Longdon has died in an accident.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-singer-david-longdon-dead-at-56
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Oh that's absolutely terrible :'(
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Devastating news. Horrible for his family obviously, but also horrible for BBT who have basically just lost all momentum they’ve built up.
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Just saw the post on FB... I feel speechless and empty inside.
-Marc.
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Just an unbelievable loss. Just from the standpoint of the band, they have gone through so much the past two years and now may have to cancel another tour. Not sure how or if they can go forward, but maybe in time. Just a sad sad day. Obviously the loss for his family is unparalleled, but I feel so bad for Greg Spawton. David was a perfect songwriting partner and such a tremendous singer and all around musician. He really allowed Greg to bring his life’s work to a broader audience. Just so saddened by this.
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Wow. Devastating news that came out of nowhere. Great singer, great songwriter.
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OMG terrible news. I'm just beginning my journey with BBT and I absolutely love his voice. Just another reminder that life is fragile and enjoy each day. I feel terrible for his family and the band. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.
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I recall he auditioned for Genesis in 1996, just as Ray Wilson did, and Kevin Gilbert was intending to around of the time of his death.
Ironic, this news comes out on Kevin Gilbert's birthday.
Still, very sad to hear, and really out of nowhere.
RIP.
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Just an unbelievable loss. Just from the standpoint of the band, they have gone through so much the past two years and now may have to cancel another tour. Not sure how or if they can go forward, but maybe in time.
I'm sure this is the last thing anyone in the band wants to think about right now, but honestly, if they called it a day for the band, I would not blame them. If this is it for the band, Common Ground and (from what we've heard of) Welcome To The Planet seem like a good swansong for them. If they plan to continue as a band but cancel their tours next year, I don't blame them either.
-Marc.
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Not heard a single note by this band, but I read the article, and that is awful. Wow! Shocking.
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Not heard a single note by this band, but I read the article, and that is awful. Wow! Shocking.
You should check them out, you may like them. I just started getting into them a couple months ago and I think they're absolutely fantastic (especially if you like classic Prog). Here's a taste that gives you a good representation of their sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX3LEHh4QxE
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Not heard a single note by this band, but I read the article, and that is awful. Wow! Shocking.
You should check them out, you may like them. I just started getting into them a couple months ago and I think they're absolutely fantastic (especially if you like classic Prog). Here's a taste that gives you a good representation of their sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX3LEHh4QxE
That's some real nice stuff there, thanks Kram. Not exactly in my wheelhouse, but respect and appreciation to this band.
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What an awful tragedy. I don't know much about him, as I am a lukewarm fan of Big Blue Train at best, but I know how many like this band. Just awful.
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:(
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Shocking. Struggling to process this. RIP, my friend.
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What an awful tragedy. I don't know much about him, as I am a lukewarm fan of Big Blue Train at best, but I know how many like this band. Just awful.
So much so that you didn't even get the band name right.
-Marc.
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English Electric has a general sense of sadness and loss running through it, but as I listen to it tonight even more so. So thankful for what the band accomplished with Longdon in just 12 years. We really don’t know how long we have or what tomorrow will bring.
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What an awful tragedy. I don't know much about him, as I am a lukewarm fan of Big Blue Train at best, but I know how many like this band. Just awful.
So much so that you didn't even get the band name right.
-Marc.
Emotions are raw, I know, but it would certainly have been accidental. Let's breathe a little.
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Oof, typo or a brain fart there. No offense intended, peeps. Tough day for fans, I get it. :( :(
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What the fuck. :'(
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Oof, typo or a brain fart there. No offense intended, peeps. Tough day for fans, I get it. :( :(
Sorry if I came off sounding negative, I've just been having a difficult day processing it all, on top of a friend losing her mother to a 5 year cancer battle as well, it's been a tough day for me.
Even after coming home from 8 hours at work I still feel empty inside from all of this and it really sucks. It's really unfair... the band was just building up momentum, they were set to tour the world next year, and I was planning to save up to see them no matter how far in the US I needed to travel but...now it most likely won't happen.
David was just a shining beacon of hope and love and light in my musical sphere and his vocals, music and words filled me with immense joy. Big Big Train have probably been my favorite band over the last 7 or 8 years since I discovered them and that was mostly due to David's performance as lead vocalist, mutli-instrumentalist, and charismatic front man.
You all here know how big of a fan I am of the band, so it comes as no surprise how hard this has hit me today. Only 1 other musical loss has hit me this hard in recent years and that was Neil Peart, but I was at least partly ready for his passing knowing his health issue, and by then Rush has called it a day, so I had made peace with the end of my first favorite band. But this... it really leaves me empty inside, and is another stark reminder of how fleeting life can be.
"Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon"
-Marc.
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Oof, typo or a brain fart there. No offense intended, peeps. Tough day for fans, I get it. :( :(
Sorry if I came off sounding negative, I've just been having a difficult day processing it all, on top of a friend losing her mother to a 5 year cancer battle as well, it's been a tough day for me.
Even after coming home from 8 hours at work I still feel empty inside from all of this and it really sucks. It's really unfair... the band was just building up momentum, they were set to tour the world next year, and I was planning to save up to see them no matter how far in the US I needed to travel but...now it most likely won't happen.
David was just a shining beacon of hope and love and light in my musical sphere and his vocals, music and words filled me with immense joy. Big Big Train have probably been my favorite band over the last 7 or 8 years since I discovered them and that was mostly due to David's performance as lead vocalist, mutli-instrumentalist, and charismatic front man.
You all here know how big of a fan I am of the band, so it comes as no surprise how hard this has hit me today. Only 1 other musical loss has hit me this hard in recent years and that was Neil Peart, but I was at least partly ready for his passing knowing his health issue, and by then Rush has called it a day, so I had made peace with the end of my first favorite band. But this... it really leaves me empty inside, and is another stark reminder of how fleeting life can be.
"Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon"
-Marc.
Right there with you, Marc. So sorry to hear about your friend’s mother as well.
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Sorry to hear marc.
It's not easy, but it's just how life is. Life isn't fair. And we do not know when our time comes. It can be by accident, sickness, or a simple mistake. But Death is part of life.
I experienced three separate types of deaths this past week. My cousin just found his girlfriend unresponsive outside after he went inside for something. My friend lost his mother in a house fire, that's all I know. And then hearing about how David Longdon went...Man what a week to show that nobody is at fault for death and nobody truly knows how one will pass on.
But as Gabriel says in The Astonishing, "When your time has come and you're looking towards the light. All that really matters, is what you leave behind."
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I have Goodbye To The Age Of Steam and The Underfall Yard (the non remix). I decided to find a live video to reminisce and this one just hits more differently now...
Swan Hunter (https://youtu.be/QKhuTR1e5Xw)
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Oof, typo or a brain fart there. No offense intended, peeps. Tough day for fans, I get it. :( :(
Sorry if I came off sounding negative, I've just been having a difficult day processing it all, on top of a friend losing her mother to a 5 year cancer battle as well, it's been a tough day for me.
Even after coming home from 8 hours at work I still feel empty inside from all of this and it really sucks. It's really unfair... the band was just building up momentum, they were set to tour the world next year, and I was planning to save up to see them no matter how far in the US I needed to travel but...now it most likely won't happen.
David was just a shining beacon of hope and love and light in my musical sphere and his vocals, music and words filled me with immense joy. Big Big Train have probably been my favorite band over the last 7 or 8 years since I discovered them and that was mostly due to David's performance as lead vocalist, mutli-instrumentalist, and charismatic front man.
You all here know how big of a fan I am of the band, so it comes as no surprise how hard this has hit me today. Only 1 other musical loss has hit me this hard in recent years and that was Neil Peart, but I was at least partly ready for his passing knowing his health issue, and by then Rush has called it a day, so I had made peace with the end of my first favorite band. But this... it really leaves me empty inside, and is another stark reminder of how fleeting life can be.
"Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon"
-Marc.
I hear you brother. It sucks big time. Sorry for your friends loss as well. Hang in there.
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Oof, typo or a brain fart there. No offense intended, peeps. Tough day for fans, I get it. :( :(
Sorry if I came off sounding negative, I've just been having a difficult day processing it all, on top of a friend losing her mother to a 5 year cancer battle as well, it's been a tough day for me.
Even after coming home from 8 hours at work I still feel empty inside from all of this and it really sucks. It's really unfair... the band was just building up momentum, they were set to tour the world next year, and I was planning to save up to see them no matter how far in the US I needed to travel but...now it most likely won't happen.
David was just a shining beacon of hope and love and light in my musical sphere and his vocals, music and words filled me with immense joy. Big Big Train have probably been my favorite band over the last 7 or 8 years since I discovered them and that was mostly due to David's performance as lead vocalist, mutli-instrumentalist, and charismatic front man.
You all here know how big of a fan I am of the band, so it comes as no surprise how hard this has hit me today. Only 1 other musical loss has hit me this hard in recent years and that was Neil Peart, but I was at least partly ready for his passing knowing his health issue, and by then Rush has called it a day, so I had made peace with the end of my first favorite band. But this... it really leaves me empty inside, and is another stark reminder of how fleeting life can be.
"Suddenly, you were gone
From all the lives you left your mark upon"
-Marc.
No worries, man, it's all good. Very sorry to hear about your friend's mom as well. :( :(
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I just learned of this from reading this thread. What a tragic loss of such a talented man.
I'm absolutely heartbroken for his family and bandmates.
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Neal Morse just shared this video of him and Nick performing Telling the Bees at Morsefest. What an appropriate song.
https://twitter.com/nealmorse/status/1462546167544352773?s=21
I was shocked to hear of the passing of Big Big Train’s David Longdon. In 2018, Nick D'Virgilio and I played David’s song Telling The Bees. I’d like to share this and send condolences to Nick, the band and David’s partner Sarah at this sad time.
Edit: Looks like he removed the video shortly after he tweeted. Not sure why.
Edit: New tweet with active YouTube link:
https://twitter.com/nealmorse/status/1462552962484559872?s=21
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I'm absolutely shocked by this and couldn't find any words until now. Although I didn't know David, it almost feel like I've lost a friend. His lyrics and ways of bringing them across always spoke to me in a very special way and his music brought me through many situations. I found out about his passing during a drive from Vienna to the small town nearby where I live. My friend texted me the sad news. Once I came home, I just stood in my apartment alone and had to drink a glass of Scotch and think about what I just learned. I spent the last two days in shock and disbelief.
My above mentioned friend is getting married coming September and we want to play Telling The Bees, because it has always been the couple's "our song". Of course, my friend and his fiancee are devastated as well. Their engagement ring even reads "Telling the bees since [date they met]. I'm sure David knew that his music spoke to many, but still it makes me sad that David will never know now about the profound input he had on my and my friends' lives.
Big Big Train's concert at the Night Of The Prog Festival at the Loreley in 2018 remains one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life. I feel very lucky that I got to see this incredible band and singer perform from the first row. I even got to meet David before the show and of course he was very nice, took his time to talk to everyone and even sat on the lawn in the back of the venue with a woman (maybe it was Sarah Ewing, I didn't recognize her back then), watching the other artists perform.
I still can't believe this is happening. I'm not sure any other musician's passing touched me as much as David's. Maybe David Bowie and Neil Peart come close. But since David was not a huge international star, I feel like he was closer to me in a way.
I will put on a Big Big Train record every night for the next days.
Goodbye, you incredible musician, and thank you.
I will miss you.
(https://i.ibb.co/PCj6tJQ/6b603768-3f50-4108-8635-016ddd8bec9d.jpg)
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A very lovely and heartfelt post there.
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Beautiful words, Fritz. It feels like we’ve lost a friend because the music strikes on such a deep, emotional level, but also because the band have been so open and connected with their fans.
Was glad to see this write up in The Guardian. It’s well researched and thorough, and somewhat unexpected from a major newspaper about someone not especially well known outside the Prog rock community.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/22/david-longdon-frontman-of-prog-rock-band-big-big-train-dies-aged-56?fbclid=IwAR3JWp-Ljity9D5RmpZ1730cbxvJuFUZe-s5aGY2ZiZlN2MxczF_DfRRPT4
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Well first I had to wait for delivery from England and then had to wait until I had an evening to myself to watch it, but it was well worth the wait for Empire. Just a phenomenal performance, recording, and film. It’s astonishing how much the band has grown from their first shows at King’s Place. Notably David Longdon seems so much more confident than in those early gigs.
And boy was his voice in great form. The first two songs I was actually a little worried. He sounded a little horse on Alive and hit somewhat of a bad note improvising on Hedgerow, and I thought maybe he was a little tired as it was the last night of the tour. But he warmed up and by the time Winkie rolled around he was cruising. But boy, he was especially excellent on Voyager and East Coast Racer.
Speaking of Voyager, that’s not a simple song but the whole band blew through it like it was nothing. Just amazing to watch everyone work their craft on the same stage. Nick is amazing, and he just anchors the entire show perfectly. I was also taken by Dave Gregory’s playing. It is so subtle but also extremely inventive and even playful at times. His solo at the end of East Coast Racer to close the show was a thing of beauty.
It seemed like some of the editing was intended to highlight Dave, Rachel, and Danny as this was their last show with the band. What a send off for those three.
My one mild complaint which was somewhat true of Reflectors of Light as well is that the editing captures too little of Greg Spawton. I wonder if that is partly due to his shy and unassuming personality influencing some editing decisions. He’s a wonderful player but not necessarily an experienced or confident one. But I love watching him work and I wish there were a little more of him on this film.
But there’s really nothing but great things to say about this. Go grab it if you haven’t yet.
Life comes at you fast and all that. At the time I wrote this we already knew of Dave Gregory, Rachel, and Danny’s departures, but who could have known back in November 2019 that this would be the last time those three plus David Longdon would share a stage with the band. I haven’t had a chance yet, but I’m planning to revisit Empire soon, and it has already occurred to me how especially poignant that ending to East Coast Racer was. I think that song in general might just be Longdon’s finest moment, and a fitting song for his final live performance.
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Very lovely post Fritz, thanks for sharing that. I'm with you in that the only other musician death to have hit me this hard (if not harder) was Neil Peart, if only because Rush has been a favorite band of mine for nearly 20 years now, and Neil was my drumming inspiration when I was learning to play drum set.
Beautiful words, Fritz. It feels like we’ve lost a friend because the music strikes on such a deep, emotional level, but also because the band have been so open and connected with their fans.
Was glad to see this write up in The Guardian. It’s well researched and thorough, and somewhat unexpected from a major newspaper about someone not especially well known outside the Prog rock community.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/22/david-longdon-frontman-of-prog-rock-band-big-big-train-dies-aged-56?fbclid=IwAR3JWp-Ljity9D5RmpZ1730cbxvJuFUZe-s5aGY2ZiZlN2MxczF_DfRRPT4
I read it, and it was nice, except the typo of "The Underfall's Yard". Very well written otherwise. I did not expect a major paper to pick up the story, but perhaps someone at The Guardian is a fan of prog?
-Marc.
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I'm absolutely shocked by this and couldn't find any words until now. Although I didn't know David, it almost feel like I've lost a friend. His lyrics and ways of bringing them across always spoke to me in a very special way and his music brought me through many situations. I found out about his passing during a drive from Vienna to the small town nearby where I live. My friend texted me the sad news. Once I came home, I just stood in my apartment alone and had to drink a glass of Scotch and think about what I just learned. I spent the last two days in shock and disbelief.
My above mentioned friend is getting married coming September and we want to play Telling The Bees, because it has always been the couple's "our song". Of course, my friend and his fiancee are devastated as well. Their engagement ring even reads "Telling the bees since [date they met]. I'm sure David knew that his music spoke to many, but still it makes me sad that David will never know now about the profound input he had on my and my friends' lives.
Big Big Train's concert at the Night Of The Prog Festival at the Loreley in 2018 remains one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life. I feel very lucky that I got to see this incredible band and singer perform from the first row. I even got to meet David before the show and of course he was very nice, took his time to talk to everyone and even sat on the lawn in the back of the venue with a woman (maybe it was Sarah Ewing, I didn't recognize her back then), watching the other artists perform.
I still can't believe this is happening. I'm not sure any other musician's passing touched me as much as David's. Maybe David Bowie and Neil Peart come close. But since David was not a huge international star, I feel like he was closer to me in a way.
I will put on a Big Big Train record every night for the next days.
Goodbye, you incredible musician, and thank you.
I will miss you.
(https://i.ibb.co/PCj6tJQ/6b603768-3f50-4108-8635-016ddd8bec9d.jpg)
Very nice tribute. I'm still in shock over this.
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4 hours - 2 live gigs from 2019 and 2020. I've been hitting replay quite a lot. Such a brilliant band and David at the helm is a sight to behold. I had hoped to see them live in 2022. At this point it is honestly hard to see how they will continue. Many are saying Nick should take on the lead vocals. I just have a hard time seeing that. At least right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqsB0l5yOM
(https://i.imgur.com/mnEq4la.jpg)
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4 hours - 2 live gigs from 2019 and 2020. I've been hitting replay quite a lot. Such a brilliant band and David at the helm is a sight to behold. I had hoped to see them live in 2022. At this point it is honestly hard to see how they will continue. Many are saying Nick should take on the lead vocals. I just have a hard time seeing that. At least right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqsB0l5yOM
(https://i.imgur.com/mnEq4la.jpg)
Nick could do *some* of the songs, and I'm sure Rikard could as well, but they really need a dedicated frontman for the band, as big as it (usually) is, and I'm not sure I could think of anyone who could replace him. My first thought might be John Mitchell, but I can't imagine him singing the lyrics and words that BBT are usually associated with, but John definitely has the range to do it.
I honestly cannot think who could even replace him, if it even comes to that. If Welcome To The Planet is their swansong as a band, I'd say it's been one hell of a run, especially since 2009 with The Underfall Yard - Nine studio albums, a few EPs, three live albums, several singles, a compilation, and a few live BDs - they've accomplished SO MUCH in just 12 years' time, and it's just so unfair that their momentum has all been lost because of this.
Earlier today, Randy McStine has posted a tribute message on FB, as did Nick D'Virgilio, both of whom were in the studio together this past week working on stuff and Nick asked Randy to learn "Telling The Bees" on bass for a jam last Thursday, and it was the last song of their jam session. Such a bittersweet thing, I cannot imagine how those closest to David are feeling right now.
What hurts even more is that David was working on a new solo album just before his passing, and it seems it might never happen unless someone releases whatever he had done posthumously.
I haven't listened to anything but BBT and music with David (had my first spin of his 2004 solo album Wild River the other day) since Saturday afternoon, and as much as it hurts, it also helps and heals, hearing his voice and their music.
-Marc.
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I have a few people in mind who I think could fit reasonably well into the BBT aesthetic, but it will be impossible to replace everything Longdon brought to the band (and I wouldn’t expect anyone to even try to). Certainly Nick is capable of doing the repertoire himself, and it might be easier to find a live drummer than a new vocalist. Some mixing and matching among Nick, Rikard, and Carly might also be possible. But it might also lose something without a certain Britishness. Honestly I hate to even think about it too much at this point. Whatever the band decides to do will be fine by me though. They already have a remarkably deep and rich catalog that we can enjoy for a lifetime.
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I have a few people in mind who I think could fit reasonably well into the BBT aesthetic, but it will be impossible to replace everything Longdon brought to the band (and I wouldn’t expect anyone to even try to). Certainly Nick is capable of doing the repertoire himself, and it might be easier to find a live drummer than a new vocalist. Some mixing and matching among Nick, Rikard, and Carly might also be possible. But it might also lose something without a certain Britishness. Honestly I hate to even think about it too much at this point. Whatever the band decides to do will be fine by me though. They already have a remarkably deep and rich catalog that we can enjoy for a lifetime.
That exactly. As I said above, what they've accomplished in the last 12 years is nothing short of amazing and I think any band, prog or otherwise, would be lucky to have produced such high caliber music in that amount of time, or even longer. I now look forward to WTTP with sadness but also hope, knowing it may be the last Big Big Train album we ever get.
-Marc.
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They are paying tribute to him right now on the seventh house…a show on www.houseofprog.com until 10:30pm eastern.
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Nick and Rikard could sing David's vocals live, but it wouldn't nearly be the same. David brought this British gentleman style to the band and as it was mentioned before, Nick and/or Rikard taking over lead vocals would totally take away from the British style of the band. I also sincerely hope that they don't continue with someone like John Mitchell. He is a very gifted musician and composer, but David's vocals were just on another level.
Whatever happens, I think it's still way too early to think about this. The world has lost a great musician and human being. The continuation of BBT is not the only thing important right now.
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Sarah Ewing has shared her thoughts in the BBT forum on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158664324633668/):
“I almost wish we were butterflies and lived but three Summer days. Three such days with you, I could fill with more delight than 50 common years could ever contain”
~ John Keats
I am not sure where to begin or what to write. Or even if I should write at all. But the out-pouring of grief has been profound and deeply moving. So I wanted to say something.
To put pay to the rumours, speculation, inaccurate reporting and perhaps to help some of you with your own questions and sense of loss, I can tell you that David had a traumatic fall at our cottage during the early hours of Friday morning. I am not going to share everything which took place. Those intimate details are just for band members, David’s beautiful girls, his Mum and me. But I will tell you that David left this life being held in my arms on Saturday 20th November. I told him how much I loved him, that he was safe and that it was time to take the next step on his great adventure. To be with him during his very last moments is the greatest tragedy and greatest privilege of my life.
I waited all my life for David. He filled up my heart. He was inspirational, thoughtful, kind, generous, gentle, loving and funny. Goodness me, was he funny. We would laugh and laugh every day. He was the best of all men.
He leaves an enormous legacy behind. Not only in terms of his creative output but also the many lives he has touched, the friends he has made and the strong unshakeable brotherhood he shared with Danny, Dave G, Rikard, NDV and of course his dearest Greg.
I know David will always be right by my side. But if I ever feel I need that extra connection, I can always reach for the music. And so can you. Because even though he told us that we will find him in the hedgerow, let me tell you a secret : it’s not true. He’s in the music. That is where you will find him.
Good bye my beautiful boy - until we meet again one day.
X
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/fr/cp0/e15/q65/260819151_10228510001713718_1721030849517618067_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=ca434c&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=aF4tYTYm0CsAX9i1ulu&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=aabf6b1ec5ef027907c1ff796b641545&oe=61A2CB6E)
A very touching message from David's partner.
-Marc.
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I haven't listened to much of Big Big Train's music, but what I've heard I've liked a lot, and David Longdon seems like a very special person as well as a very special musician. A sudden loss of such a life is an immense tragedy.
That beautiful message from his partner begins to give a sense of his importance. It's incredibly hard to write something like that, and she did so well at conveying how special he was even to someone like me who is a novice to his music and of course never met the man.
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Greg Spawton has shared his thoughts on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/607319396/posts/10158693149174397/):
For David
In 2009, a man called David Longdon walked into my life and changed it completely. Over the last decade or so we shared many adventures together, and now those adventures are over.
Despite his formidable vocal talents and his love of live performance, David’s preferred occupation was as a songwriter. Over the years we developed a friendly (and very productive) songwriting rivalry which spurred both of us on to compose the best songs that we could.
David was an alchemist. He made my songs shine with his extraordinary voice and presence and he drove me on to write better songs. He helped me feel more comfortable on stage and to step forward out of my comfort zones. In every respect he enriched my life and made it for the better.
Many have spoken of David’s exceptional kindness and thoughtfulness. Even more notable to me, however, was his loyalty. He always had my back, and when times were difficult he would be there with the right words at the right time. I loved him like a brother.
David’s world was full of love, his love for others and theirs for him. In particular, his life was hugely enriched by the love of his partner Sarah and his daughters Amelia and Eloise. The strength and fortitude that these three women have shown throughout the harrowing circumstances of the last few days has been extraordinary.
David leaves behind an exceptional body of work. Whilst we do not know what the future will hold, all of us in Big Big Train and in our management team will do everything we can to honour that musical legacy.
Goodbye, dear friend.
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/fr/cp0/e15/q65/259761846_10158693147904397_1170952191531383304_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=110474&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=w1ZXIwf-faIAX8Kb8Fq&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=229d166406d7aa2d3bd38ff949112382&oe=61A46D37)
Just four days later and I still find myself in shock and disbelief as I spent my morning listening to English Electric Full Power (the 2016 remaster) and this evening listening to Far Skies Deep Time (the 2017 Remaster with all 6 songs). What a stunning body of work Greg and David produced. I'm continually impressed and thankful for the music they have given us in the last 12 years or so.
-Marc.
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Great words from the Train's engineman.
I feel like many songs by BBT are about life and what you do with it and the transience of things. Those songs (no matter if they were written by Spawton or Longdon) now gain a new, dramatic, almost somber dimension. I now listen to them with new ears.
On the skyline a lightning blown tree
Weathered and broken
On the water the driftwood breaks free
On its way down the river
To the sea
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Saw Greg’s post first thing this morning. I’ve been listening to BBT pretty much nonstop since the news, and was going to take a break, but here I am blasting East Coast Racer instead.
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Heartbreaking post by Greg. I listened to some BBT today ("Hedgerow" and "Uncle Jack").
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Great words from the Train's engineman.
I feel like many songs by BBT are about life and what you do with it and the transience of things. Those songs (no matter if they were written by Spawton or Longdon) now gain a new, dramatic, almost somber dimension. I now listen to them with new ears.
On the skyline a lightning blown tree
Weathered and broken
On the water the driftwood breaks free
On its way down the river
To the sea
This is absolutely right. Listening to Swan Hunter now, and the line “some things aren’t meant to last” hits like a ton of bricks.
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BIG BIG TRAIN UPDATE - FRIDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 2021
As we continue to mourn the loss of David Longdon, we have decided not to update the Big Big Train Passengers Club website today. We intend to update the Club again during December.
Tomorrow will represent the one week anniversary of David's passing and I wanted to write to all fans of the band. The word “tragedy” is frequently overused. However, the loss of David is most definitely a tragedy in the true sense of the word. All of us within the Big Big Train world - bandmates present and past, crew, management team, all our business partners and advisors - are devastated that David is no longer with us. Our thoughts and sympathies are first and foremost with David's beloved Sarah and his two daughters, Amelia and Eloise, and David’s mother Vera. The band, crew and management team are pulling together as best we can to provide both emotional and practical support to David’s loved ones.
David's life and myriad achievements have been celebrated already by various of the great and the good from within the music community and in the British national and music press. The outpouring from fans on social media has been truly extraordinary. There have been numerous stunning and beautifully eloquent tributes paid to David, foremost of course amongst them by Sarah herself as well as by Greg Spawton, Nick D’Virgilio, Rikard Sjöblom, Danny Manners and Dave Gregory. At another time I shall write in greater detail with my own memories of David.
It has been both incredibly moving and gratifying, but also terribly sad, to read all of the comments from fans on social media. We would like to thank you all for sharing your memories of David and how he and his music touched you. Please do continue to share these memories. As per the note posted by the group moderators on Tuesday, I would also like to state our appreciation for the highly respectful manner that has been generally adopted in the posts and comments thus far since it was our sad duty last Saturday afternoon to issue the news of David’s passing.
As per our statement last Saturday, Big Big Train's next album Welcome To The Planet remains scheduled for release on 28th January 2022. As with the pause for the Passengers Club, we have chosen to hold off further promotional efforts for the album for the time being but these will resume before its release. In accordance with Sarah’s wishes, our aim is simply to ensure that the album is as successful and heard as widely as it can be. That is how we will help to cement David's legacy and render it even more significant than it already is.
We will communicate further about the future of Big Big Train as soon as we are able to do so, including regarding the band's 2022 concerts. However, in these extremely difficult circumstances, please do not expect any statements for at least several weeks. In the meantime, and however well intentioned it may be, we would be grateful if everyone could please resist the temptation to speculate about the band’s future.
Finally, and pending my own more detailed recollections of David in due course, I offer one brief and simple observation.
Over and above countless references to his consummate songwriting, his boundless vocal and musical skills and his amazing creative vision, there has been a deluge of social media comments attesting to what a wonderful man David was. These comments entirely reflect the man I knew. It was an enormous privilege to serve as his manager and to be his friend.
Rest in peace David.
Nick Shilton, Kingmaker Management
From the BBT Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/203751903023821/posts/4632713136794320/).
I honestly don't expect any major band updates til the album is released in 2 months, and even then, it'll probably be to say the 2022 tour is postponed at best, canceled at worst. I do think they'll continue as a band but it may be awhile before they do so.
-Marc.
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I hope they are able to do some sort of concert in memory of/tribute to David, maybe with guest vocalists or a drummer so Nick can sing. Part of me wonders if the tour was really going to happen due to Covid anyway, so maybe canceling the tour is for the best. I kind of think if and when they do go forward, they need to release an album or two with the new singer before touring again so the new singer can kind of have his own repertoire and not be trying to fill David’s shoes directly.
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I hope they are able to do some sort of concert in memory of/tribute to David, maybe with guest vocalists or a drummer so Nick can sing. Part of me wonders if the tour was really going to happen due to Covid anyway, so maybe canceling the tour is for the best. I kind of think if and when they do go forward, they need to release an album or two with the new singer before touring again so the new singer can kind of have his own repertoire and not be trying to fill David’s shoes directly.
That would not be a bad idea, and I can see them trying to do that. Before they started touring with David, they had 3 albums and two EPs under their belt with David at the mic, so I can see them wanting to release at LEAST one studio album with whoever they get to be their new frontman. I am also willing to bet that future albums, if there will be any, will feature more multi-vocalist songs like "Black With Ink", just to give Rikard, Nick, and their new members more vocal spots. But yeah, I agree - taking someone brand new out to tour with BBT when they themselves haven't settled into the band yet might feel a bit rushed, but that's still quite a ways away.
I do wonder if there is any archived material that hasn't been released that they were holding on to, like the supposed Station Masters re-recordings with the post-English Electric line-up performing pre-TUY songs. If any of those were nearly finished, I'd love to see them get released.
-Marc.
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Don’t know if this link will work (Facebook links never seem to), but this a post from the BBT Facebook group of Peter Jones performing a version of Victorian Brickwork last Saturday (just after the news about David Longdon broke). I mentioned the other day there were a couple people I had in mind who might be able to fit into BBT as a vocalist, and Peter is one of them. He’s also a gifted writer and multi-instrumentalist like DL was.
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158671947388668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile&anchor_composer=false
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Not familiar with him but that was quite nice.
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This is lovely. The band have released a video for Capitoline Venus in tribute to David.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2F8IoXIxfinLP3HuRYpKDpR-WDYOZ1weHtRreSTBsXhRN2eto5wGm8rcY&v=Jm2xJfXDibc&feature=youtu.be
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This is lovely. The band have released a video for Capitoline Venus in tribute to David.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2F8IoXIxfinLP3HuRYpKDpR-WDYOZ1weHtRreSTBsXhRN2eto5wGm8rcY&v=Jm2xJfXDibc&feature=youtu.be
I just saw this too and I'm speechless.
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This is lovely. The band have released a video for Capitoline Venus in tribute to David.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2F8IoXIxfinLP3HuRYpKDpR-WDYOZ1weHtRreSTBsXhRN2eto5wGm8rcY&v=Jm2xJfXDibc&feature=youtu.be
Just saw Nick share it on Facebook. Very beautiful song and touching video, got me a bit teary eyed. I may be a wreck the first time I listen to WTTP.
-Marc.
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A beautiful tribute and a beautiful song - it was hard to watch actually. He will be sorely missed. An amazing voice and talent.
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It was cool that they sneaked in a photo of David with Robert Plant (he sang backing vocals for him during a charity concert several year back if I recall right). Too bad they didn’t get the recent shot of David and Greg with Peter Gabriel in there.
Really was a very touching video and it’s remarkable how well the song itself fits (I believe it was written by Greg for his wife several years ago, but it was appropriate for David too). Definitely choked up a bit watching it the first time. Really a great example of David’s vocal ability too.
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It was cool that they sneaked in a photo of David with Robert Plant (he sang backing vocals for him during a charity concert several year back if I recall right). Too bad they didn’t get the recent shot of David and Greg with Peter Gabriel in there.
Really was a very touching video and it’s remarkable how well the song itself fits (I believe it was written by Greg for his wife several years ago, but it was appropriate for David too). Definitely choked up a bit watching it the first time. Really a great example of David’s vocal ability too.
I went back and listened to the demo version they released on the first week that The Passengers Club went up and yeah, it's amazing how appropriate the song's lyrics were, despite their original meaning as described by Greg in the Passengers Club post.
-Marc.
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New animated video for Proper Jack Froster. Choking back tears again.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0Q8ldDvEEFfpms79S0wtJQv0_Z3qcqsJFfM0GHAG5Z4qyUJfYlR4GS004&v=Fju33DnyNoQ&feature=youtu.be
The band have also confirmed that the March 2022 UK and summer 2022 US tours have been cancelled, though they have advised people to retain their tickets for the September 2022 UK dates, so that suggests they intend to continue and play those dates somehow.
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Watched the video for PJF earlier this morning and really enjoyed it! It's a bit of a sad story, as well, but the music is so good that you sort of forget it's about a sad childhood.
Here's what Greg recently posted:
We are sad to announce the cancellation of Big Big Train’s March 2022 UK tour and of the 20 date tour of North America which had been booked for May and June next year and which was shortly to have gone on sale. At present we are simply not able to consider playing any shows.
However, the music and films which Big Big Train and its associates have been working on in recent months form part of David’s and the band’s musical legacy and so we have decided to continue with our scheduled release plans.
Today, we are sharing a beautiful new film for a winter-themed Big Big Train song called Proper Jack Froster. The film was made by Swedish animator Love Andreas Gson Fagerstedt and tells the story of a Midlands childhood. Love has previously worked with BBT on a video for Brew and Burgh and with Rikard Sjöblom on his song They Fade (where Rikard also reflected on his childhood).
Everyday we get closer to WTTP, the small swelling sadness in my heart grows a bit more knowing it'll be the last album with David. It's like we still have this one piece of his work to look forward to but after that, everything is unknown and uncertain for the band.
-Marc.
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It's just absolutely gut-wrenching that there will be no more of this. David truly was a one-of-a-kind singer who fit this music absolutely perfectly. I feel like they were still on this incredible upward trajectory of recognition after all this time, and now it's been completely cut off and nothing will ever be the same again.
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Watched the Proper Jack Froster video several times again last night. Really is a touching video, but the song really comes alive too. Greg is really going for it with his bass tone on this track. He really anchors the song. I know some people are waiting for the album to hear it, but whenever you do you're in for a treat.
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Is there a particular BBT album I'd be best off starting with? Maybe a live release?
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Is there a particular BBT album I'd be best off starting with? Maybe a live release?
I would suggest starting with The Underfall Yard, which just recently had a Remix and Remaster version released. It was their first album with David Longdon and Nick D'Virgilio, and stands as one of the band’s best works.
If you want a live album, I'd suggest A Stone's Throw From The Line, which contains some songs from TUY, as well as many songs from their English Electric albums (which were released after TUY).
Or, if you're willing, just start from the beginning and work your way forward, but know that their first five studio albums have a different lineup than the one they're mostly known for and have been known for since 2009, but there's still lots of good music in their first five albums/fifteen years as a band, I just personally think their last 12 years has been their best material.
-Marc.
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I agree with starting at The Underfall Yard, which is the start of the David Longdon era and still probably my favorite BBT album. That said, the English Electric albums may be a better singular representation of the band just in terms of the range of material on it (there are two parts, but look for the Full Power version that assembled them as one double album). The run of The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, and English Electric is tremendous, so you really can’t go wrong with any of those.
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I would also highly suggest starting with The Underfall Yard and moving forward chronically. In my opinion, their earlier albums (with the exception of The Difference Machine) can't hold a candle to their later output. I agree though, English Electric: Full Power may be the album that covers their musical spectrum the most. I specifically said EE: FP, because in my opinion, this is the DEFINITIVE version of this album.
Have fun discovering this amazing band, Axeman, you are about to get to know a TON of beautiful music.
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In my opinion, their earlier albums (with the exception of The Difference Machine) can't hold a candle to their later output.
I would not recommending starting with the first four albums either, but I do think very highly of all of them. I actually really like Martin Reed’s voice on the first two albums. English Boy Wonders is one that I would probably rank up there with some of the Longdon era stuff. The “For Autumn” suite of songs is one of the best things Greg Spawton has written. I think Gathering Speed and The Difference Machine are also pretty high level prog. The band was on an upward trajectory even before Longdon joined.
But the band was really just a hobby back then. It wasn’t until Longdon, NDV, and Dave Gregory joined (and Greg Spawton switched from guitar to bass) that the band really had the personnel and capacity to take everything to the next level. It’s one of the things that makes Longdon’s loss so crushing. He was the perfect partner for Greg to achieve his vision for the band. He was the perfect voice for the band, but also brought so much to the table as a multi-instrumentalist and writer.
Have fun discovering this amazing band, Axeman, you are about to get to know a TON of beautiful music.
Absolutely this. There is so much there to discover. Once you’ve made your way through the Longdon material, it’s definitely worth checking out the early stuff as well.
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Is there a particular BBT album I'd be best off starting with? Maybe a live release?
I can also recommend starting with The Underfall Yard. I recently started my discovery of BBT a couple of month ago, and thanks to recommendations here, I started with The Underfall Yard as well. I have since gotten Far Skies Deep Time (thanks Letter M for the recommendation) and now English Electric Full Power. All I can say is you're in for a treat! They have quickly become one of my favorite bands based on these three works alone! The loss of David Logdon is just absolutely crushing for everyone. I still have a lot of his work with the band to discover though, so I'm taking them slow and enjoying each release to it's fullest. Incredible stuff! Enjoy the journey
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Is there a particular BBT album I'd be best off starting with? Maybe a live release?
I can also recommend starting with The Underfall Yard. I recently started my discovery of BBT a couple of month ago, and thanks to recommendations here, I started with The Underfall Yard as well. I have since gotten Far Skies Deep Time (thanks Letter M for the recommendation) and now English Electric Full Power. All I can say is you're in for a treat! They have quickly become one of my favorite bands based on these three works alone! The loss of David Logdon is just absolutely crushing for everyone. I still have a lot of his work with the band to discover though, so I'm taking them slow and enjoying each release to it's fullest. Incredible stuff! Enjoy the journey
Happy to help! Anything to spread the good word of BBT to music fans!
For new fans, TUY just had a remaster and remix, which is probably the best way to get the album. Then there is the 2016 Remaster of English Electric: Full Power that has greater dynamic range than the original release (which already sounded pretty great to begin with). Far Skies Deep Time likewise had a re-release in 2017 that features all six songs that two versions of the EP had, now making for a complete experience (though I personally move "Master Of Time" to the front of the album because "The Wide Open Sea" is a much better album closer).
Bard is set for a new release sometime next year, thankfully, being the last Pre-Longdon album to not get a re-issue in the last 15 years. Their other four Pre-Longdon albums have all had remasters/remixes/re-issues, some with expanded tracklists/bonus tracks as well, though I'm not sure how hard it is to get some of those physically, but they're all available digitally on their Bandcamp page (https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/). If you are a digital-only listening/buyer of music, that's probably the best place to get everything that's currently available for download.
-Marc.
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I'll believe it when I see it re. Bard. The band absolutely hate it, apparently.
Done a discog run over recent months and the early albums are *very* 90s neo-prog.
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I'll believe it when I see it re. Bard. The band absolutely hate it, apparently.
Yeah, Bard's the only one I don't have specifically *because* it wasn't one of the reissues. :lol
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The band have released "Bats In The Belfry" which will be the last single before the release of Welcome To The Planet.
https://youtu.be/qE78_5_1AoQ
BATS IN THE BELFRY
Bats In The Belfry is the final single we will be making available in advance of the Welcome To The Planet album which will be released on 28th January 2022.
Bats In The Belfry was composed by BBT drummer, Nick D'Virgilio.
Nick: 'Big Big Train has many songs where the drum parts are challenging and we have a few instrumentals now, but I wanted to write something to really give me the room to stretch out on the drums. I wanted the song to be fast but groovy. I've also enjoyed writing more specific parts for our brass ensemble. The song started with the bass line and grew from there. Next came the main melody in the opening section. From there I was off to the races. I was able to add fast "drum-n-bass" style drum solos over the top of some nice counterpoint brass lines, a rocking middle part, and an end section where I changed the beat around just for fun. One thing I have to say is that no matter what I throw at this band they can handle it and then some. The first time I heard Rikard's "surf" sounding guitar on the fast middle section I burst out laughing with musical joy! ‘
https://open.spotify.com/track/6hrDS83dQDpCnog5GVakPj?si=a628df3528a945e3
Six songs have been released by the band, five as singles and one as part of a tribute video to David Longdon a few weeks ago ("Capitoline Venus"), totaling roughly 29 minutes of the forthcoming album (17:17 from Part 1, and 11:32 from Part 2).
Now I've got to wonder how long the remaining three songs will be as I hope there's still at least 20 minutes of unheard music left to discover in "A Room With No Ceiling", "Oak And Stone", and the closing title track!
-Marc.
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The band have released "Bats In The Belfry" which will be the last single before the release of Welcome To The Planet.
https://youtu.be/qE78_5_1AoQ
BATS IN THE BELFRY
Bats In The Belfry is the final single we will be making available in advance of the Welcome To The Planet album which will be released on 28th January 2022.
Bats In The Belfry was composed by BBT drummer, Nick D'Virgilio.
Nick: 'Big Big Train has many songs where the drum parts are challenging and we have a few instrumentals now, but I wanted to write something to really give me the room to stretch out on the drums. I wanted the song to be fast but groovy. I've also enjoyed writing more specific parts for our brass ensemble. The song started with the bass line and grew from there. Next came the main melody in the opening section. From there I was off to the races. I was able to add fast "drum-n-bass" style drum solos over the top of some nice counterpoint brass lines, a rocking middle part, and an end section where I changed the beat around just for fun. One thing I have to say is that no matter what I throw at this band they can handle it and then some. The first time I heard Rikard's "surf" sounding guitar on the fast middle section I burst out laughing with musical joy! ‘
https://open.spotify.com/track/6hrDS83dQDpCnog5GVakPj?si=a628df3528a945e3
Six songs have been released by the band, five as singles and one as part of a tribute video to David Longdon a few weeks ago ("Capitoline Venus"), totaling roughly 29 minutes of the forthcoming album (17:17 from Part 1, and 11:32 from Part 2).
Now I've got to wonder how long the remaining three songs will be as I hope there's still at least 20 minutes of unheard music left to discover in "A Room With No Ceiling", "Oak And Stone", and the closing title track!
-Marc.
Awesome! Only listened to part of this to try and save it for the release. Amazing that it’s just a month away.
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The band have released "Bats In The Belfry" which will be the last single before the release of Welcome To The Planet.
https://youtu.be/qE78_5_1AoQ
BATS IN THE BELFRY
Bats In The Belfry is the final single we will be making available in advance of the Welcome To The Planet album which will be released on 28th January 2022.
Bats In The Belfry was composed by BBT drummer, Nick D'Virgilio.
Nick: 'Big Big Train has many songs where the drum parts are challenging and we have a few instrumentals now, but I wanted to write something to really give me the room to stretch out on the drums. I wanted the song to be fast but groovy. I've also enjoyed writing more specific parts for our brass ensemble. The song started with the bass line and grew from there. Next came the main melody in the opening section. From there I was off to the races. I was able to add fast "drum-n-bass" style drum solos over the top of some nice counterpoint brass lines, a rocking middle part, and an end section where I changed the beat around just for fun. One thing I have to say is that no matter what I throw at this band they can handle it and then some. The first time I heard Rikard's "surf" sounding guitar on the fast middle section I burst out laughing with musical joy! ‘
https://open.spotify.com/track/6hrDS83dQDpCnog5GVakPj?si=a628df3528a945e3
Six songs have been released by the band, five as singles and one as part of a tribute video to David Longdon a few weeks ago ("Capitoline Venus"), totaling roughly 29 minutes of the forthcoming album (17:17 from Part 1, and 11:32 from Part 2).
Now I've got to wonder how long the remaining three songs will be as I hope there's still at least 20 minutes of unheard music left to discover in "A Room With No Ceiling", "Oak And Stone", and the closing title track!
-Marc.
Love it. Awesome drumming by Nick. Everything I hear from BBT I just absolutely love!!
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I just rewatched Empire this morning for the first time since Davis passed. Just a tremendous performance, and definitely one of the best sounding live concerts I’ve ever heard. Picture quality is also tremendous. It’s a must-own for BBT fans and anyone else who enjoys live music really.
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I just rewatched Empire this morning for the first time since Davis passed. Just a tremendous performance, and definitely one of the best sounding live concerts I’ve ever heard. Picture quality is also tremendous. It’s a must-own for BBT fans and anyone else who enjoys live music really.
It is bittersweet that Empire exists as the last concert to feature David, as well as Rachel Hall and Dave Gregory. I'm really glad we've got that piece of musical history to hold on to now, especially as the future seems so uncertain for the band, particularity with regards to live performances. If they decide to continue as a band, as BBT, and get a new lead vocalist, it could be awhile before they decide to tour again.
Also, the new album comes out in four weeks, and while I've already heard over half of it because of the four (technically five) singles that have been released, I am still excited for the whole album.
-Marc.
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I just rewatched Empire this morning for the first time since Davis passed. Just a tremendous performance, and definitely one of the best sounding live concerts I’ve ever heard. Picture quality is also tremendous. It’s a must-own for BBT fans and anyone else who enjoys live music really.
It is bittersweet that Empire exists as the last concert to feature David, as well as Rachel Hall and Dave Gregory. I'm really glad we've got that piece of musical history to hold on to now, especially as the future seems so uncertain for the band, particularity with regards to live performances. If they decide to continue as a band, as BBT, and get a new lead vocalist, it could be awhile before they decide to tour again.
Also, the new album comes out in four weeks, and while I've already heard over half of it because of the four (technically five) singles that have been released, I am still excited for the whole album.
-Marc.
I find myself anticipating the new album despite having heard most of it. Knowing it will be the last with Longdon (assuming they don’t have enough leftover material for another release) probably adds to it. It will be bittersweet, but in some ways it helps that there is more material yet to come.
Greg’s recent comments on Facebook do not seem at all certain about the future of the band. I’m hoping at the most they will take an extended absence to regroup before moving forward in some way, but I could also see them discontinuing BBT and perhaps moving on with a different band name and direction. But it would probably be better not to discard the name and history. I’m confident Greg and the others have plenty more music to make whenever they feel they are ready to. But I’m also sure it will be hard to replicate exactly what they had with David. It might be easier to start off in a whole new direction somehow.
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I just rewatched Empire this morning for the first time since Davis passed. Just a tremendous performance, and definitely one of the best sounding live concerts I’ve ever heard. Picture quality is also tremendous. It’s a must-own for BBT fans and anyone else who enjoys live music really.
It is bittersweet that Empire exists as the last concert to feature David, as well as Rachel Hall and Dave Gregory. I'm really glad we've got that piece of musical history to hold on to now, especially as the future seems so uncertain for the band, particularity with regards to live performances. If they decide to continue as a band, as BBT, and get a new lead vocalist, it could be awhile before they decide to tour again.
Also, the new album comes out in four weeks, and while I've already heard over half of it because of the four (technically five) singles that have been released, I am still excited for the whole album.
-Marc.
I find myself anticipating the new album despite having heard most of it. Knowing it will be the last with Longdon (assuming they don’t have enough leftover material for another release) probably adds to it. It will be bittersweet, but in some ways it helps that there is more material yet to come.
Greg’s recent comments on Facebook do not seem at all certain about the future of the band. I’m hoping at the most they will take an extended absence to regroup before moving forward in some way, but I could also see them discontinuing BBT and perhaps moving on with a different band name and direction. But it would probably be better not to discard the name and history. I’m confident Greg and the others have plenty more music to make whenever they feel they are ready to. But I’m also sure it will be hard to replicate exactly what they had with David. It might be easier to start off in a whole new direction somehow.
Even though the band have had a celebrated (mostly unchanged) popular line-up for the last 12+ years, they've had line-up changes before, though replacing a lead vocalist/frontman is *never* easy, but I think if Greg still has more to say and write about, he'll continue on with the band. It's been quite fortuitous that the band have slowly gotten into letting multiple vocalists take lead in their songs, starting with Nick, and on Common Ground, giving lead spots to Rikard and the other new members. I think their first album without David will continue that by allowing Rikard, Nick, and the others to have more lead-vocal moments, if not whole songs. It could be the way going forward, whether or not that get a new primary vocalist. I do hope, whoever they get, that they find someone who can also play flute, just to help cover David's parts on the songs from the last 9 albums where David played flute. If not, a multi-instrumentalist could be good regardless of what instrument they play.
-Marc.
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I haven't updated my BBT discovery, as after David's death, it just didn't seem right and I couldn't really bring myself to say much. I still don't have a lot to say, but wanted to update you guys. I now have The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time and English Electric Full Power. They have become one of my favorite bands of all time (and current most listened to by far) based on these 3 works alone. Absolutely incredible stuff. English Electric is probably my favorite (TUY is close). There's really not a bad song on any of these three albums. The crescendo, towards the latter half of East Coast Racer, is maybe the greatest piece of music I have ever heard!! Talk about epic. WOW!! I guess my next step is to pick up Folklore and continue the journey chronologically. I am tempted to get the new album later this month though - but might just wait and take my time with this discovery.
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Dunno if it's just me but I feel their last two album (Tour and Common) have been lacking that spark found on Underfail to The Folklore trilogy of albums. Far from bad albums, but I do find them a little bland in comparison.
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Dunno if it's just me but I feel their last two album (Tour and Common) have been lacking that spark found on Underfail to The Folklore trilogy of albums. Far from bad albums, but I do find them a little bland in comparison.
I'm a bit of the opposite, I've found Grand Tour and Common Ground to be quite refreshing and uplifting after some of the heavier themes from Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS trilogy, which I kind of overplayed after awhile, and a lot of TSBS feels like leftovers they decided to release because they could, as they're all very slow, mellow songs that make the album feel very depressing for me. It's an amazing trio of albums, don't get me wrong, but I feel like they knew they were hitting a wall musically and lyrically because they went into Grand Tour to explicitly distance themselves from the English pastoral themes and history. I think I like the variety of the last two albums (and so far of WTTP) makes them a bit more exciting than the previous trio of albums, but only time will tell.
I haven't updated my BBT discovery, as after David's death, it just didn't seem right and I couldn't really bring myself to say much. I still don't have a lot to say, but wanted to update you guys. I now have The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time and English Electric Full Power. They have become one of my favorite bands of all time (and current most listened to by far) based on these 3 works alone. Absolutely incredible stuff. English Electric is probably my favorite (TUY is close). There's really not a bad song on any of these three albums. The crescendo, towards the latter half of East Coast Racer, is maybe the greatest piece of music I have ever heard!! Talk about epic. WOW!! I guess my next step is to pick up Folklore and continue the journey chronologically. I am tempted to get the new album later this month though - but might just wait and take my time with this discovery.
I would definitely continue chronologically if you can. Folklore is a fabulous album (despite what I may have said above). Don't forget to also check out the "Merry Christmas/Snowfalls" single they released during that period! I would say try to get Folklore, Grimspound, and The Second Brightest Star all at once as the latter contains expanded tracks from the previous two albums.
-Marc.
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Dunno if it's just me but I feel their last two album (Tour and Common) have been lacking that spark found on Underfail to The Folklore trilogy of albums. Far from bad albums, but I do find them a little bland in comparison.
I don't think you're alone really. I was a bit less enthused by Grand Tour at the time it came out (though revisiting it recently, I think it is really strong in places). I kind of think at that point the band needed something to shake it up a bit, and while I didn't want to see anyone leave, I think pairing down to the core four members helped them do that. Common Ground seemed like a real rejuvenation to me. It sounded fresh, and I liked some of the more pop elements, but it still had lots of proggy goodness as well.
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Damn, I haven't seen the news of David's passing until now. How tragic 😥 Really can't think about this right now, his family must be devistated through all of this. Somehow also reminded me of Mike Baker's (Shadow Gallery) tragic passing for some reason. David will be sorely missed 😔
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I only first learned about Big Big Train sometime last year, but I checked out some videos of them and thought they were pretty cool, so I put Empire on my Christmas List. I love live concert videos.
It's amazing, easily my favorite gift! (To be fair, the competition included new slippers and some shirts.)
I heard about David's passing right before Christmas, and read that Rachel, Danny, and Dave had all left the band prior to that (but after the recording of Empire, which was in 2019). So it's like I discovered this amazing band just as it "ended", or at least will be going through some major changes. Empire will be the document of the final form of this band.
I also had English Electric Full Power on my list, but it's only available as a download, and my wife didn't want to deal with that. But I'll be working through the back catalog.
-
I only first learned about Big Big Train sometime last year, but I checked out some videos of them and thought they were pretty cool, so I put Empire on my Christmas List. I love live concert videos.
It's amazing, easily my favorite gift! (To be fair, the competition included new slippers and some shirts.)
I heard about David's passing right before Christmas, and read that Rachel, Danny, and Dave had all left the band prior to that (but after the recording of Empire, which was in 2019). So it's like I discovered this amazing band just as it "ended", or at least will be going through some major changes. Empire will be the document of the final form of this band.
I also had English Electric Full Power on my list, but it's only available as a download, and my wife didn't want to deal with that. But I'll be working through the back catalog.
Awesome! I think you’re gonna love them.
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The band have published the first of two videos discussing the tracks on their upcoming album.
https://youtu.be/lcnQw8zWpHE
I only first learned about Big Big Train sometime last year, but I checked out some videos of them and thought they were pretty cool, so I put Empire on my Christmas List. I love live concert videos.
It's amazing, easily my favorite gift! (To be fair, the competition included new slippers and some shirts.)
I heard about David's passing right before Christmas, and read that Rachel, Danny, and Dave had all left the band prior to that (but after the recording of Empire, which was in 2019). So it's like I discovered this amazing band just as it "ended", or at least will be going through some major changes. Empire will be the document of the final form of this band.
I also had English Electric Full Power on my list, but it's only available as a download, and my wife didn't want to deal with that. But I'll be working through the back catalog.
Yeah, it was a bit of a gut-punch that Dave was leaving, it was another big punch when Rachel and Danny decided to leave, but looking back on it, I think their departure kind of gave the band the big push to fully reinvent themselves and refocus on their musical and lyrical directions. Common Ground, while sounding similar in places, is a bit of a stylistic departure from their previous albums, but Grand Tour was already steering the band into that direction by moving away from the kinds of themes they had already explored in the English Electric albums, and the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS era of BBT.
I'm happy to hear that you've begun your exploration of BBT. There's a lot to take in, especially in the Longdon-Era from 2009 to now, where the majority of their work sits. Prior to his joining, there were only 5 studio albums and a couple of demo albums before their debut. Since David joined, we've gotten 8 (soon to be 9) studio albums, several EPs and singles, a compilation, and a few live CDs/BDs from their shows over the last 6 years. The band really bloomed over the last decade, so I hope they continue forward with the momentum they've built up.
Also, if you liked Empire, definitely check out their other live shows. There's a digital-download of their King's Place shows from 2015 on their Vimeo account, and their 2017 concert is available as Reflectors Of Light on BD (and Merchants Of Light on CD). Last fall, I binged through all of the BD material they had released (including the live-in-studio Stone And Steel video, which shows the band playing songs at Real World Studios in 2014 as a way to test out whether or not the band could actually be a live band and put on a concert).
-Marc.
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I only first learned about Big Big Train sometime last year, but I checked out some videos of them and thought they were pretty cool, so I put Empire on my Christmas List. I love live concert videos.
It's amazing, easily my favorite gift! (To be fair, the competition included new slippers and some shirts.)
I heard about David's passing right before Christmas, and read that Rachel, Danny, and Dave had all left the band prior to that (but after the recording of Empire, which was in 2019). So it's like I discovered this amazing band just as it "ended", or at least will be going through some major changes. Empire will be the document of the final form of this band.
I also had English Electric Full Power on my list, but it's only available as a download, and my wife didn't want to deal with that. But I'll be working through the back catalog.
You're going to love them. I just started my BBT journey last summer, and they've quickly become one of my favorite bands. Definitely pickup English Electric Full Power. It has some of the best music I've ever heard on it. The Underfall Yard is also a must get. Awesome stuff! Enjoy.
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I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
-
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
-
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I knew about the additional songs but had no idea which ones they were, and when I looked to see which were the bonus songs, that's when I noticed the new running order. They did a great job IMO. It plays like one real long epic - incredible stuff!
-
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I believe it was four new songs from the EP:
Make Some Noise
Seen Better Days
Edgelands
The Lovers
The EP also included two new edits - "Keeper Of Abbeys (Branch Line Edition)" and "Curator Of Butterflies (Branch Line Edition)", only available on the EP.
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
Did you get the 2016 remaster? I got the original 2013 limited edition digibook (which comes with a THICK 96-page booklet inside the case, making it one of the thickest digibook albums I own), but last year I acquired the 2016 remaster digitally and the dynamic range was definitely improved. That isn't to say the original 2013 version is a brick-walled mess, but the remaster brings the songs closer in line with their post-EE albums in terms of DR.
As for the running order, once EEFP was released, I all but abandoned listening to the individual EE albums and stuck with the Full Power version. It's just nice to have all 19 songs in one go, and with the new order and segues, it just flows to perfectly from start to finish. Making "East Coast Racer" the penultimate track was a brilliant move, and I like how they kept "Hedgerow" and "Curator Of Butterflies" as the closing tracks of each half. The album is incredibly well-balanced and is probably one of my top 10 albums of all time.
In other BBT news, reviews for WTTP have been coming in, and for the couple that I've read, it seems that reviewers have really enjoyed the album although something about the closing title-track seems a bit off for some. We're just 12 days from release, so I'm avoiding reading too many more reviews so I can at least appreciate the last three unheard songs with some fresh ears. I've actually not really listened to any BBT so far this year in an effort to dive back into them when WTTP comes out, despite having already heard 6 of the album's 9 songs.
-Marc.
-
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I knew about the additional songs but had no idea which ones they were, and when I looked to see which were the bonus songs, that's when I noticed the new running order. They did a great job IMO. It plays like one real long epic - incredible stuff!
It’s funny because I came aboard with Full Power and never heard the individual EE albums. For me starting out with First Rebreather seems awkward, but a lot of people were upset with them starting Full Power with Make Some Noise. To me, that’s a really fun way to kick off the album, even if it is a bit out of character with the rest of the material. It’s a great song.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I believe it was four new songs from the EP:
Make Some Noise
Seen Better Days
Edgelands
The Lovers
The EP also included two new edits - "Keeper Of Abbeys (Branch Line Edition)" and "Curator Of Butterflies (Branch Line Edition)", only available on the EP.
That’s right. I just miscounted when I was looking at the Wikipedia page for the EP. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard the edits on the EP. I should check those out sometime.
-
[quote author=HOF link=topic=34565.msg2849078#msg2849078 date=1642366390
Did you get the 2016 remaster? I got the original 2013 limited edition digibook (which comes with a THICK 70-page booklet inside the case, making it one of the thickest digibook albums I own), but last year I acquired the 2016 remaster digitally and the dynamic range was definitely improved. That isn't to say the original 2013 version is a brick-walled mess, but the remaster brings the songs closer in line with their post-EE albums in terms of DR.
I ended up getting this hi-res digital download - https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/english-electric-full-power-hi-resolution-audio Is this the 2016 remaster? It sounds incredible!
-
Been thinking about the band’s future some more, and how they might go about moving forward with Nick as the primary vocalist. Something I’ve always thought was that Nick’s voice would really suit the early material sung by Martin Reed. Of the four early albums (not including Bard), Goodby to the Age of Steam sounds the most dated and low budget. I would love to see the band reinterpret that with the current lineup and with Nick on vocals. It might not be worth the investment if they would rather move forward with new stuff, but it feels like they could probably knock it out fairly easily and breath some new life into what I think is a really cool record that just needs a little shining up. And it would give Nick an album’s worth of material as the front man if they do go on to tour later this year as planned.
That said, I’m also curious to hear the new track sung by Carly to see how her voice might fit in more of a lead role. I do think she, Nick, and Rikard could handle new material going forward just fine. The bigger challenge would be finding someone to pull off David’s songs live. Which is why I think it would be good to get something out with the new vocalist(s) before touring again.
-
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I knew about the additional songs but had no idea which ones they were, and when I looked to see which were the bonus songs, that's when I noticed the new running order. They did a great job IMO. It plays like one real long epic - incredible stuff!
It’s funny because I came aboard with Full Power and never heard the individual EE albums. For me starting out with First Rebreather seems awkward, but a lot of people were upset with them starting Full Power with Make Some Noise. To me, that’s a really fun way to kick off the album, even if it is a bit out of character with the rest of the material. It’s a great song.
Honestly, I like Make Some Noise, and it is a fun tune - but I do agree that it kind of does sound "out of place" with the rest of the material.
-
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
As for the running order, once EEFP was released, I all but abandoned listening to the individual EE albums and stuck with the Full Power version. It's just nice to have all 19 songs in one go, and with the new order and segues, it just flows to perfectly from start to finish. Making "East Coast Racer" the penultimate track was a brilliant move, and I like how they kept "Hedgerow" and "Curator Of Butterflies" as the closing tracks of each half. The album is incredibly well-balanced and is probably one of my top 10 albums of all time.
Yes, it's become one of my all-time favorites as well - the flow is perfect and I too like "East Coast Racer" as the 2nd to last track, as it allows Curator of Butterflies to bring you back down after the amazing crescendo in East Coast Racer.
-
[quote author=HOF link=topic=34565.msg2849078#msg2849078 date=1642366390
Did you get the 2016 remaster? I got the original 2013 limited edition digibook (which comes with a THICK 70-page booklet inside the case, making it one of the thickest digibook albums I own), but last year I acquired the 2016 remaster digitally and the dynamic range was definitely improved. That isn't to say the original 2013 version is a brick-walled mess, but the remaster brings the songs closer in line with their post-EE albums in terms of DR.
I ended up getting this hi-res digital download - https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/english-electric-full-power-hi-resolution-audio Is this the 2016 remaster? It sounds incredible!
I th ink that version is just a hi-res version of the original master, so it probably does sound great, but it's not the 2016 remaster (the bottom of the page says it was "released in 2013", so I believe it to be the original mastering).
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I knew about the additional songs but had no idea which ones they were, and when I looked to see which were the bonus songs, that's when I noticed the new running order. They did a great job IMO. It plays like one real long epic - incredible stuff!
It’s funny because I came aboard with Full Power and never heard the individual EE albums. For me starting out with First Rebreather seems awkward, but a lot of people were upset with them starting Full Power with Make Some Noise. To me, that’s a really fun way to kick off the album, even if it is a bit out of character with the rest of the material. It’s a great song.
Honestly, I like Make Some Noise, and it is a fun tune - but I do agree that it kind of does sound "out of place" with the rest of the material.
At the time, it did feel a bit out of place, but now that we've gotten other songs like "Alive" and "The Strangest Times", it doesn't seem TOO odd or out of place as an up-beat and accessible opening song. It's honestly one of my favorites from the EE-era, and I'm glad it made the cut for EEFP.
Been thinking about the band’s future some more, and how they might go about moving forward with Nick as the primary vocalist. Something I’ve always thought was that Nick’s voice would really suit the early material sung by Martin Reed. Of the four early albums (not including Bard), Goodby to the Age of Steam sounds the most dated and low budget. I would love to see the band reinterpret that with the current lineup and with Nick on vocals. It might not be worth the investment if they would rather move forward with new stuff, but it feels like they could probably knock it out fairly easily and breath some new life into what I think is a really cool record that just needs a little shining up. And it would give Nick an album’s worth of material as the front man if they do go on to tour later this year as planned.
That said, I’m also curious to hear the new track sung by Carly to see how her voice might fit in more of a lead role. I do think she, Nick, and Rikard could handle new material going forward just fine. The bigger challenge would be finding someone to pull off David’s songs live. Which is why I think it would be good to get something out with the new vocalist(s) before touring again.
That's an interesting idea, and I'm sure they had some of those early songs earmarked for re-recording back when they were working on the multi-disc Station Masters project, which would've seen the EE/Folkspound line-up re-record songs from their catalog for a compilation, but it seems that that project has been abandoned in recent years. I think since Folklore, the band have been constantly moving forward and wanting to pursue new music and not really look back. Other than The Underfall Yard, they've not really revisited any of their older albums since 2017, especially since they remastered/remixed/released all but Bard from their pre-Longdon days, although Greg has said in the last couple of years that a Bard remix/remaster/re-issue was coming soon, though given the current state of the band, who knows if that'll happen now.
Granted, they could take this time to rework Bard and, like you suggest, get Nick, Rikard, and Carly to sing on older tunes if they want to tour and do a sort of Retro-BBT setilst while they work out who will fill David's shoes as main frontman. It might be interesting to hear more of their pre-Longdon songs played by the current line-up, especially since we've only really heard "Wind Distorted Pioneers" and "Summer's Lease", not counting "Kingmaker".
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
As for the running order, once EEFP was released, I all but abandoned listening to the individual EE albums and stuck with the Full Power version. It's just nice to have all 19 songs in one go, and with the new order and segues, it just flows to perfectly from start to finish. Making "East Coast Racer" the penultimate track was a brilliant move, and I like how they kept "Hedgerow" and "Curator Of Butterflies" as the closing tracks of each half. The album is incredibly well-balanced and is probably one of my top 10 albums of all time.
Yes, it's become one of my all-time favorites as well - the flow is perfect and I too like "East Coast Racer" as the 2nd to last track, as it allows Curator of Butterflies to bring you back down after the amazing crescendo in East Coast Racer.
BBT have truly mastered the "Penulimate Epic -> Come-down Closer":
Saltwater Falling On Uneven Ground - Summer's Lease
Brooklands - Telling The Bees
A Mead Hall In Winter - As The Crow Flies
Voyager - Homesong
Atlantic Cable - Homesong
It's something I've noticed other band have been doing as well, but I think BBT have really made it an art.
-Marc.
-
And speaking of NDV taking on more lead vocal duties, this popped up again in my YouTube feed tonight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpwpAJm1sA
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Two new uploads by the band today.
First is the second track-by-track discussion of Welcome To The Planet. (https://youtu.be/LMvrStmSJRU)
And second, an acoustic performance of the album's self-titled closing track. (https://youtu.be/i71iIzWgu2w)
That certainly is a very interesting song but I don't hate it. I'm looking forward to listening to the full band version, but this one of just Carly and David is pretty in its own right.
Just ten more days to go...
-Marc.
-
Just got my shipment notification email from Bandwagon USA for my t-shirt/CD bundle for Welcome To The Planet! Hopefully it arrives before Friday! I'm excited to hear the whole album, as bittersweet as it may be.
Anyone else here have the album preordered? Can't wait to see what others here will think of this last BBT album featuring David Longdon.
-Marc.
-
Just got my shipment notification email from Bandwagon USA for my t-shirt/CD bundle for Welcome To The Planet! Hopefully it arrives before Friday! I'm excited to hear the whole album, as bittersweet as it may be.
Anyone else here have the album preordered? Can't wait to see what others here will think of this last BBT album featuring David Longdon.
-Marc.
Got my shipping notice from Bandwagon this weekend. Fingers crossed it gets here a little before Friday.
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Got mine from Burning Shed today! I usually get my shipping notifications for pre-orders from Burning Shed the Monday before the release (which of course is Friday) and it almost always arrives the Monday after.
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Got mine from Burning Shed today! I get my shipping notification for pre-orders from Burning Shed the Monday before the release (which of course is Friday) and it almost always arrives the Monday after.
Nice!
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Got mine from Burning Shed today! I get my shipping notification for pre-orders from Burning Shed the Monday before the release (which of course is Friday) and it almost always arrives the Monday after.
Nice!
I just realized my post makes no sense the way I wrote it, so I changed it :lol
Anyway, I am very excited for this release, although I think it will be a very bittersweet experience listening to David's last album.
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It's going to be tough for me not to buy this now and discover it with you guys, but I'm trying to hold off and continue my BBT discovery chronologically (just picked up Folklore). It probably wouldn't have been this difficult if David hadn't passed. Plus the fact they've literally become one of my all-time favorite bands in just a few months!
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Got mine from Burning Shed today! I get my shipping notification for pre-orders from Burning Shed the Monday before the release (which of course is Friday) and it almost always arrives the Monday after.
Nice!
I just realized my post makes no sense the way I wrote it, so I changed it :lol
Anyway, I am very excited for this release, although I think it will be a very bittersweet experience listening to David's last album.
Part of me feels kind of glad that we know for certain this is David's last album because sometimes bands will end or break-up or lead members will move on/pass away unexpectedly and there won't be anything else from them ever again. Knowing the band had an album forthcoming after David passed almost kind of feels like a gift from him and the band - one last artistic showcase of his talent and love for music. And, so far, reviews have been very positive for this one, so I think we may have something special to look forward to this week.
It's going to be tough for me not to buy this now and discover it with you guys, but I'm trying to hold off and continue my BBT discovery chronologically (just picked up Folklore). It probably wouldn't have been this difficult if David hadn't passed. Plus the fact they've literally become one of my all-time favorite bands in just a few months!
I felt that way too, falling in love with BBT so quickly after discovering them nearly a decade ago for me now, and back then, they only had 2 albums and an EP with David! Discovering them in 2021 means new fans are spoiled for choice, but I am glad you are enjoying what you're hearing so far. The Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS era of music is pretty special, with lots of great songs, especially the longer songs/epics that they have across those albums. As tempting as it might be to listen to the new one right away, I'd say it might be more rewarding if you stick it out and get through the rest of the albums between Folklore and Welcome To The Planet, just to hear how the band has evolved. There is slight change in sound between Folklore and Common Ground, so I think the difference might be a bit jarring if you jump ahead, and this is coming from a long-time fan who has grown to hear these changes in their sound, year-by-year and album-by-album.
Over the last few days, I've been going back and listening to all of the Longdon-sung songs starting with TUY last Wednesday, then FSDT on Thursday, EEFP on Friday, Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS over the weekend, and Grand Tour today. Tomorrow will be Common Ground, and then just waiting for the new album! Also threw in some other releases in my listening queue as well, like Merchants Of Light, the Summer's Lease compilation, and my personal Christmastime compilation of Christmas/Wintery songs. I feel very ready to hear this new album now!
-Marc.
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The band (as well as NDV on his own channel) have shared a drum play-through video of "Bats In The Belfry"! (https://youtu.be/bEooQIUiy-s)
-Marc.
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Got an email saying mine has been delivered!
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Got an email saying mine has been delivered!
Nice! Apparently my email from Rita Kay Drew gave me a different tracking number than what the Bandwagon USA email sent me (which was incorrect).
EDIT - at 2:34pm, it looks like someone in Charleston, SC 29414 received their package from Bandwagon USA. I hope whoever it is likes their package!
-Marc.
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Got an email saying mine has been delivered!
Nice! Apparently my email from Rita Kay Drew gave me a different tracking number than what the Bandwagon USA email sent me (which was incorrect).
EDIT - at 2:34pm, it looks like someone in Charleston, SC 29414 received their package from Bandwagon USA. I hope whoever it is likes their package!
-Marc.
Oh no, wrong address?
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Got an email saying mine has been delivered!
Nice! Apparently my email from Rita Kay Drew gave me a different tracking number than what the Bandwagon USA email sent me (which was incorrect).
EDIT - at 2:34pm, it looks like someone in Charleston, SC 29414 received their package from Bandwagon USA. I hope whoever it is likes their package!
-Marc.
Oh no, wrong address?
The email I got from Rita, via USPS, has my correct address in it, so I know it's coming to me, but it's stuck in DC today and hasn't moved since last night, but it still says it's on track to be delivered to me on Friday.
I think the Bandwagon USA system automated emails attached the wrong tracking and so I got sent two separate tracking numbers - one that is correct (from Rita), and another from Bandwagon USA with someone else's tracking number. Whoops. Either way, mine is still coming... I hope. *fingers crossed*
-Marc.
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Hopefully yours gets there sooner than expected! Last night my tracking was still saying a Friday ETA.
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www.lasercd.com has it in stock right now.
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Hopefully yours gets there sooner than expected! Last night my tracking was still saying a Friday ETA.
My tracking just updated and it recently arrived in my city/local post office so I should be getting it tomorrow afternoon! I cannot wait!
-Marc.
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Here to report:
1. We get a new instance of the "gone to ground" lyric on this album.
2. The title track is AMAZING.
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Here to report:
1. We get a new instance of the "gone to ground" lyric on this album.
2. The title track is AMAZING.
So you've heard it? Nice! It'll be another 17 hours, at least, til I get home from work tomorrow evening and get to hear it.
-Marc.
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Here to report:
1. We get a new instance of the "gone to ground" lyric on this album.
2. The title track is AMAZING.
So you've heard it? Nice! It'll be another 17 hours, at least, til I get home from work tomorrow evening and get to hear it.
-Marc.
Yep, my copy was in the mail when I got home last night.
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Is there a song in the vein of 'Alive' or 'The Strangest Times'? I really like those kind of uplifting songs by them.
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Here to report:
1. We get a new instance of the "gone to ground" lyric on this album.
2. The title track is AMAZING.
So you've heard it? Nice! It'll be another 17 hours, at least, til I get home from work tomorrow evening and get to hear it.
-Marc.
Yep, my copy was in the mail when I got home last night.
Oh what a nice surprise! Happy listening!
Is there a song in the vein of 'Alive' or 'The Strangest Times'? I really like those kind of uplifting songs by them.
I'd say the opener "Made From Sunshine" is pretty upbeat. It's been out for a few months too, before we even knew it was even going to be on an album, let alone the opener.
Also, shared this morning is an interview with David and Greg talking about the new album and other things about being in BBT.
https://youtu.be/uJKbWwLYit4
-Marc.
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Is there a song in the vein of 'Alive' or 'The Strangest Times'? I really like those kind of uplifting songs by them.
Yes, as Marc said, the opening track Made From Sunshine really does fit that vibe. It’s a great track. Surprisingly, it’s the only one on the album where Longdon provided lyrics (and the music was co-written with Dave Foster).
Overall, I’d say the album is pretty experimental for BBT. Most of the Spawton pieces are more in line with the traditional BBT sound, but the contributions from Nick, Rikard, and Carly are all a bit out there and a step away from the pastoral, Genesis-inspired BBT. One Spawton piece, Oak and Stone, is also pretty different (it’s a bit along the lines of Ariel maybe), and is a really interesting track.
I’m glad the band are branching out a bit with this one (and with Common Ground). The fact that everyone is contributing to the writing now at least suggests they should be able to carry on in some format without Longdon. It might take some time getting used to the various styles inhabiting the same album. My first two listens last night felt a bit jumbled. But the album seemed to gel a bit more when I listened on my way into work this morning.
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Well, came home from work and the new album had arrived. Just listened to it, and it's stunning, much better than Common Ground, but sharing many of the same faults. I really love it. It sounds fantastic, the music falling out of the speakers with a solidity and depth that you rarely find - Rob Aubrey is a mixing and mastering genius. Carly Bryant is a great pianist, there's some fantastic playing on here, reminding me of a Steve Vai quote about beginners playing the wrong notes while virtuosos play the unexpected notes.
Made form Sunshine is breezy opener, and David Longton's only writing credit on the album. The Connection Plan rocks, Lanterna is a highlight on the album, Capitoline Venus is heartbreaking. Bats In The Belfry is the best BBT instrumental so far. Welcome to the Planet is one of those songs that shouldn't work but somehow does. The whole thing is a far cry from English Electric, but managing to be it's own thing, a new iteration of the band finding it's feet with great style and great promise for the future.
Several times I found myself thinking I can't wait to hear these songs live, and then remembering that we never will. If this is the end of BBT, it's a good one to go out on.
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I will also say, the original idea with this release was to be an EP with leftovers that weren’t used for Common Ground (Connection Plan was one of the leftovers). The band decided to write additional material to fill out a full album. So that may explain the somewhat experimental nature of this release. Similar to how The Second Brightest Star is a bit of an odd duck among other BBT albums maybe.
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I will also say, the original idea with this release was to be an EP with leftovers that weren’t used for Common Ground (Connection Plan was one of the leftovers). The band decided to write additional material to fill out a full album. So that may explain the somewhat experimental nature of this release. Similar to how The Second Brightest Star is a bit of an odd duck among other BBT albums maybe.
True, TSBS was put out as a companion piece to Folklore and Grimspound, which is why it is supplemented with expanded versions of songs from the previous two albums. Funny enough, IIRC, Grimspound was originally going to be the companion EP/LP to Folklore but they had so much material that they just made it their next full-blown album. And even then, they still had even MORE material for The Second Brightest Star. That was quite an era of the band, especially since TSBS was revealed and put up for pre-order about a month or so out from release, I believe. It was definitely a shock and a pleasant surprise to get new music again SO SOON, much in the same way that we have gotten singles from WTTP over the last 5 months leading up to the album's release.
On a side note, my tracking says my album bundle has been delivered to my mail box at home! Sadly I am stuck at work for about another two hours, but when I get home, it'll be time to say "Welcome to my collection" to WTTP!
-Marc.
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Had one full listen through with headphones on (something I haven't done in a long while), and I've got to say, even though I've already heard 6 of the 9 songs in full (7 counting the stripped down version of the title track), this album is *really* good to my ears when everything is put together.
This is definitely an experimental album compared to anything else they've released in the last 13 years, but I like it. It's great to hear writing from Nick, Rikard, and Carly, as they all add their own flavors to the band.
As for the three new-to-me tracks, Rikard's instrumental has hints of his other bands' works, but infused with Greg and Nick laying down a solid rhythm section.
"Oak And Stone" might be a bit of a grower for me, but I don't dislike it. I definitely need more time with it.
And the closing, title track, while quirky and a bit unusual for BBT, is amazing. It's got a lot of middle-to-late Beatles vibes but through a bit of a proggier lens. I can see how some folks may not like this one, but I think it works, and it works quite well for me, and a suitable album closer.
Is it too early to say this is AOTY material? 😅
-Marc.
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Had one full listen through with headphones on (something I haven't done in a long while), and I've got to say, even though I've already heard 6 of the 9 songs in full (7 counting the stripped down version of the title track), this album is *really* good to my ears when everything is put together.
This is definitely an experimental album compared to anything else they've released in the last 13 years, but I like it. It's great to hear writing from Nick, Rikard, and Carly, as they all add their own flavors to the band.
As for the three new-to-me tracks, Rikard's instrumental has hints of his other bands' works, but infused with Greg and Nick laying down a solid rhythm section.
"Oak And Stone" might be a bit of a grower for me, but I don't dislike it. I definitely need more time with it.
And the closing, title track, while quirky and a bit unusual for BBT, is amazing. It's got a lot of middle-to-late Beatles vibes but through a bit of a proggier lens. I can see how some folks may not like this one, but I think it works, and it works quite well for me, and a suitable album closer.
Is it too early to say this is AOTY material? 😅
-Marc.
I’d expect nothing less from BBT!
The ending to Oak and Stone is wonderful, and even though it’s a GS piece, Nick and Rikard were responsible for the ending, which is cool to hear.
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Had one full listen through with headphones on (something I haven't done in a long while), and I've got to say, even though I've already heard 6 of the 9 songs in full (7 counting the stripped down version of the title track), this album is *really* good to my ears when everything is put together.
This is definitely an experimental album compared to anything else they've released in the last 13 years, but I like it. It's great to hear writing from Nick, Rikard, and Carly, as they all add their own flavors to the band.
As for the three new-to-me tracks, Rikard's instrumental has hints of his other bands' works, but infused with Greg and Nick laying down a solid rhythm section.
"Oak And Stone" might be a bit of a grower for me, but I don't dislike it. I definitely need more time with it.
And the closing, title track, while quirky and a bit unusual for BBT, is amazing. It's got a lot of middle-to-late Beatles vibes but through a bit of a proggier lens. I can see how some folks may not like this one, but I think it works, and it works quite well for me, and a suitable album closer.
Is it too early to say this is AOTY material? 😅
-Marc.
I’d expect nothing less from BBT!
The ending to Oak and Stone is wonderful, and even though it’s a GS piece, Nick and Rikard were responsible for the ending, which is cool to hear.
Oh I didn't know that about "Oak And Stone"! Very nice, I'm happy to hear that the band are so closely working together on all of these songs and adding to each other's base material.
And speaking of how songs were made, the song-story entry for the title track has been posted to the band's website! Some very insightful thoughts from Carly on how she created the album's closing piece.
-Marc.
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Had one full listen through with headphones on (something I haven't done in a long while), and I've got to say, even though I've already heard 6 of the 9 songs in full (7 counting the stripped down version of the title track), this album is *really* good to my ears when everything is put together.
This is definitely an experimental album compared to anything else they've released in the last 13 years, but I like it. It's great to hear writing from Nick, Rikard, and Carly, as they all add their own flavors to the band.
As for the three new-to-me tracks, Rikard's instrumental has hints of his other bands' works, but infused with Greg and Nick laying down a solid rhythm section.
"Oak And Stone" might be a bit of a grower for me, but I don't dislike it. I definitely need more time with it.
And the closing, title track, while quirky and a bit unusual for BBT, is amazing. It's got a lot of middle-to-late Beatles vibes but through a bit of a proggier lens. I can see how some folks may not like this one, but I think it works, and it works quite well for me, and a suitable album closer.
Is it too early to say this is AOTY material? 😅
-Marc.
I’d expect nothing less from BBT!
The ending to Oak and Stone is wonderful, and even though it’s a GS piece, Nick and Rikard were responsible for the ending, which is cool to hear.
Oh I didn't know that about "Oak And Stone"! Very nice, I'm happy to hear that the band are so closely working together on all of these songs and adding to each other's base material.
And speaking of how songs were made, the song-story entry for the title track has been posted to the band's website! Some very insightful thoughts from Carly on how she created the album's closing piece.
-Marc.
I was on there the other night and that's where I saw about Oak and Stone having that contribution from Nick and Rikard. They were sort of quietly updating those blog sections. Will have to go check out Carly's.
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After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.
CD's
Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store
Downloads
English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.
I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!
Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.
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After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.
CD's
Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store
Downloads
English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.
I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!
Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.
Welcome aboard the Big Big Train! Seems like you've gotten almost every major album from the band since David Longdon joined, though I see you're missing Far Skies Deep Time, while labeled an EP, contains six songs that are just as good as anything else the band has done. If you can, definitely try to check it out!
Also, the version of "London Song" from bandcamp is the original version, but the version on the Japanese released 2-CD compilation Summer's Lease is better as it contains extra instrumentation between the individual songs to help the piece feel more cohesive. Actually, that compilation is pretty great in its own right, especially if you can't find a copy of Far Skies Deep Time with the song "Kingmaker" (as older versions of FSDT had either "Kingmaker" or "Master Of Time" as the opening track, but the 2017 remaster/re-issue had both songs).
Anyways, enjoy your journey, and I hope to hear what your thoughts are on the albums as you get into them!
-Marc.
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After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.
CD's
Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store
Downloads
English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.
I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!
Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.
Heck yeah, that’s a haul. You’re in for a good time!
I hate how hard it is to find physical copies of some of these. Just the nature of a small independent band I guess, but it stinks if you’re just getting into them now. Hopefully some day these will get reissued again.
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I hate how hard it is to find physical copies of some of these. Just the nature of a small independent band I guess, but it stinks if you’re just getting into them now. Hopefully some day these will get reissued again.
It is pretty difficult, especially if you're a vinyl collector, which thankfully I am not. But I have been collecting their CDs since late 2012, and I'm glad I discovered them when I did.
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/fr/cp0/e15/q65/272803929_10102992302973031_4145469515649560835_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=5bac3a&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=bnKLoNIY-GsAX9q4R8w&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AT-wZFZZWENyPLms1Wq2r_dGxsVEjhTIZr5nnaeWrj9iXw&oe=61F89DF7)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/fr/cp0/e15/q65/272882471_10102992303007961_12921512661013884_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=5bac3a&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=nbSeEUd12wwAX9MjDc5&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AT-iy6WHguDEASgltQbGIWaDZSiXt9G28VMpNGh5AURs1w&oe=61F8E875)
Probably my favorite discography in my collection just based on music and art alone, as well as the presentation on the digibooks. The art by Jim Trainer and Sarah Ewing is just so evocative and stunning, worthy of the power and beauty that BBT music exudes.
Edit - so I was perusing the album booklet for WTTP and realized that the brass ensemble feature on FIVE songs on the new album, compared to just two on Common Ground. That fact alone might give the new album one up on the previous one, as I feel like the brass really are a trademark part of BBT's sound, so it's nice that they included them in so much of the music this time around.
-Marc.
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Just wanted to throw some love toward’s Rikard’s A Room With No Ceiling. Part of me thinks it would have been cool to stretch it out into a full song with lyrics, but as it is it’s a fun little instrumental. Accordion for the win!
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After spending the last few evenings bouncing around their Bandcamp page, I pulled the trigger today. Had to go to 3 different places to get everything and I still could not get it all in the format I would like.
CD's
Underfall 2 CD, Grand Tour and Welcome from Bandwagon
Grimspound, Empire and Common Ground from my favorite eBay store
Downloads
English Electric: Full Power, Folklore (with the 2 Wassail non-album tracks in the running order, or as they said, the vinyl order), London Song and Second Brightest Star all from their Bandcamp.
I could find no physical copies anywhere for the downloads. If I did, it was unreal prices. Most of these downloads are 24/48 or 24/96. EE is over 2 GB!
Now I have to start going through it all once it all arrives. I'm downloading the Bandcamp stuff as I type this so I can at least get into some of that this weekend.
You're in for a treat. All of their stuff I've gotten so far has been absolutely amazing! English Electric Full Power has become one of my all-time favorite albums by anyone! Enjoy the ride!
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Thanks to Marc for pointing out Far Skies Deep Time. I missed that in my inventory check. I did see the Summer's Lease comp on their Bandcamp and the mention of a more filled out London Song. They want 10 pounds for that one and I wanted to dig into the other stuff before I decided if I really needed the whole thing or just a couple of tracks. That's the nice thing with Bandcamp, the ability to purchase uncompressed individual tracks when need be.
The version of Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp only has Kingmaker. They don't seem to offer Master of Time anywhere digitally. As expected, physical copies of either are few and far between and a king's ransom. I'll probably pick up Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp and maybe a handful from Summer's.
I only got about halfway through Folklore last night. Loved it all so far. I am a huge Rikard fanboy so I wanted to start with an album he is on. I know he is only a bit player at this point in the band and I'm obviously not expecting Beardfish or Gungfly. Either way, only briefly in and all good so far.
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Thanks to Marc for pointing out Far Skies Deep Time. I missed that in my inventory check. I did see the Summer's Lease comp on their Bandcamp and the mention of a more filled out London Song. They want 10 pounds for that one and I wanted to dig into the other stuff before I decided if I really needed the whole thing or just a couple of tracks. That's the nice thing with Bandcamp, the ability to purchase uncompressed individual tracks when need be.
The version of Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp only has Kingmaker. They don't seem to offer Master of Time anywhere digitally. As expected, physical copies of either are few and far between and a king's ransom. I'll probably pick up Far Skies Deep Time on the Bandcamp and maybe a handful from Summer's.
I only got about halfway through Folklore last night. Loved it all so far. I am a huge Rikard fanboy so I wanted to start with an album he is on. I know he is only a bit player at this point in the band and I'm obviously not expecting Beardfish or Gungfly. Either way, only briefly in and all good so far.
Rikard's contributions steadily grew as the years/albums went on, but he was really well utilized on the live stage. If you watch Empire or Reflectors Of Light, you can see him play quite bit of things throughout their concerts and he's a very jack-of-all-trades performer on stage.
As for Summer's Lease, there is one new song recorded specifically for that album ("Don't Forget The Telescope") as well as other first-time-on-CD releases of older songs redone. Sad to hear that "Master Of Time" isn't available on their bandcamp! It is only just an Anthony Philips cover so not even a BBT original, but if you want to listen to it, I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere.
Glad you're enjoying Folklore! It's definitely a standout album, IMO, and a bit of a departure from the more English countryside/pastoral feel that English Electric was, especially with tunes like the Peter Gabriel-esque "Wassail" and the title track, as well as one of my personal favorites "The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun".
-Marc.
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Yeah, I watched the video of Hedgerow on YouTube from Empire and what really struck me was the pure joy in Rikard as he was performing. You can tell how much he loved that band. Then I saw a sealed copy on eBay for $28 and snatched it up.
Already got a shipping notice from Bandwagon and I expect the other batch to ship soon from eBay. I've made 2 other purchases from that seller recently and usually had the stuff in a few days.
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I only got about halfway through Folklore last night. Loved it all so far. I am a huge Rikard fanboy so I wanted to start with an album he is on. I know he is only a bit player at this point in the band and I'm obviously not expecting Beardfish or Gungfly. Either way, only briefly in and all good so far.
I was thinking about Rikard's contributions to BBT today. He's actually done relatively little in BBT as a main writer just in terms of the songs he's composed just by himself. He's credited with a few short instrumentals, and then he wrote the music for one relative epic that is a bit of a fan favorite (A Mead Hall in Winter). I'm not super familiar with Beardfish, but I love the Gungfly albums, and he has a pretty distinctive style. That comes through somewhat in the songs he has composed for BBT, but I get the sense that maybe he wants to keep his own style separate from BBT (or vice versa). That said, his instrumental on the new album, A Room With No Ceiling, does have a definite Gungfly flavor to it.
I think what Rikard brings to BBT that seems to be pretty invaluable is just a wealth of versatility in terms of what he can play (acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, accordion!). He allows them to really fill out the sound live, but he also adds a lot of color in the parts he contributes to the songs on record. He's had his share of memorable solos since joining (the closing solo on Transit of Venus is one great example). He also did a lot of cool stuff from a keyboard standpoint on Common Ground, and on Welcome To the Planet I'm hearing some really interesting guitar parts here and there (the surf guitar on Bats in the Belfry, the guitars on the title track). He's not always out front and center, but his contributions are always significant if that makes sense.
To be honest, when he first joined the band in more than a live capacity on Folklore* I kind of thought, "well, I'd rather hear more Dave Gregory than a second guitarist." But I'm really glad he came on board, especially since Gregory left, but also now with Longdon's passing. He not only brings his versatile playing, but he's also another prolific writer who they can maybe lean on more in David's absence. I love the little ending he and Nick came up with for Oak and Stone, which is another reminder that the band has plenty of talent on board if they do choose to carry on.
*Technically it was for the Wassail EP I suppose.
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Given the diversity in writing contributions since Grand Tour, I think we can expect more writing from Nick and Rikard, as well as Dave Foster and Carly now that they are in the band in full with WTTP.
I keep spinning WTTP and everytime, I fall in love with the title track just a bit more. It's quite different and unique from the rest of the band's catalog, but it has so many sounds and emotions that it just feels quite fitting to close the album! My only quibble might be that I wish the New Orleans street-band jam lasted twice as long, it's just enough to be a good taste of that sound, but it also doesn't super overstay its welcome either, but I just wish it was a bit longer. Ah well, it's still a great track.
I'm sure I'm not totally biased here, but WTTP is definitely another winner for me, much like CG was last year. At this point, they could release 40 minutes of brass and low-volume humming while Nick swishes cymbals and I'd be praising the album. I just hope there is a bright future ahead of them after the darkness that has befallen the band over the last two months. I'm more excited not to see where things may go after hearing this album in full.
-Marc.
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I’m totally on board with WTTP (the album and track) as well. I love all the new directions and diversity of the album. If I have any (minor) quibbles, the album doesn’t sound quite as crystal clear as Common Ground. Something with the low end is causing it to sound a bit muddled to my ears. Nothing bad of course, just noticeably different than Common Ground, which might be the best sounding album ever.
The other thing that I kind of hope Greg moves away from a bit is he has a habit of using harmony vocals to finish off a vocal line (see the opening of Lanterna and Oak and Stone. David starts a line, and then the whole band comes in to finish it off). It’s something David Longdon introduced way back on TUY, but lately it feels like all of Greg’s longer songs employ it (Roman Stone, Voyager, Atlantic Cable as well). Nothing wrong with the technique in general, but it feels like it’s being overused a bit. Again, a minor quibble.
I listened to both Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet last night, and they are both wonderful albums. Different from those early Longdon albums for sure, but fantastic in their own right.
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I’m totally on board with WTTP (the album and track) as well. I love all the new directions and diversity of the album. If I have any (minor) quibbles, the album doesn’t sound quite as crystal clear as Common Ground. Something with the low end is causing it to sound a bit muddled to my ears. Nothing bad of course, just noticeably different than Common Ground, which might be the best sounding album ever.
The other thing that I kind of hope Greg moves away from a bit is he has a habit of using harmony vocals to finish off a vocal line (see the opening of Lanterna and Oak and Stone. David starts a line, and then the whole band comes in to finish it off). It’s something David Longdon introduced way back on TUY, but lately it feels like all of Greg’s longer songs employ it (Roman Stone, Voyager, Atlantic Cable as well). Nothing wrong with the technique in general, but it feels like it’s being overused a bit. Again, a minor quibble.
I listened to both Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet last night, and they are both wonderful albums. Different from those early Longdon albums for sure, but fantastic in their own right.
I've never really noticed that vocal delivery quirk you mentioned, but now I'll have to keep an ear out for it. Given that there have been so many vocalists in the band, now more than ever, I don't think it's something that will go away anytime soon. I really enjoy hearing their dense harmonies and vocal deliveries, it really adds a lot of to the texture of their music, especially when you hear it against the brass ensemble and other things like bass pedals and acoustic guitars. It's all dense by somehow there's a bit of space in there as well that lets everything kind of breathe in its own place.
I also did a CG/WTTP listen the other night and really enjoyed it. Definitely all turning points in the band's history, and it's a shame that we were robbed of the chance to hear those songs played live with David. If they ever play them on the stage, I'm still eager to hear how they'll sound, regardless of who is singing the songs.
-Marc.
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Okay, that title track was... unique. I don't have much else to say yet :lol
Overall I really enjoy the album. I hadn't heard anything from it in advance, so I went in with fresh ears.
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Okay, that title track was... unique. I don't have much else to say yet :lol
Overall I really enjoy the album. I hadn't heard anything from it in advance, so I went in with fresh ears.
Oh that's good. I, of course, had heard all the songs they released prior to the album coming out, so I had already heard 6 of the album's 9 tracks before last week, but it's great to hear them all together in the proper order.
I'm sure the title track will be quite the surprise for many fans, and I can see it being a divisive piece for a lot of listeners.
In lieu of getting the Belle Antique Japanese release of the WTTP right away (though I will buy a copy eventually), I found a site to purchase and download the bonus track. As it turns out "Endnotes Overture" is a two-and-a-half minute brass ensemble piece that reprises some themes from Endnotes, and it sounds amazing. I wonder if it was written with the intention to perform it live as an introduction to the concert or before "Endnotes" or another song from the CG/WTTP group of songs. Either way, if any of the die-hard Passengers here can, definitely seek this track out. Probably more enjoyable than the previous two Belle Antique bonus tracks (which were Rikard piano solos at the end of Grand Tour and Common Ground, which aren't awful per se, but hearing the brass ensemble to an overture is a treat).
-Marc.
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Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.
I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.
All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.
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Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day.
Hedgerow has quickly become a favourite of mine lately, it's definitely in my Top 5 of BBT songs at the moment.
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Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.
I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.
All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.
Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).
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The February newsletter from BBT:
The new Big Big Train album, Welcome To The Planet was released on 28th January and is available on CD and vinyl for immediate shipping from our official stores at Burning Shed and Bandwagon USA and for download from our Bandcamp store. All the links to our stores can be found at the bottom of this message. The album is also available at Amazon, HMV and other music retailers.
The band’s previous two albums – Grand Tour in 2019 and Common Ground in 2021 - both reached Top 40 in the UK official albums charts. To honour our beloved band mate David and to help spread his musical legacy as widely as possible we would be very pleased if we were able to achieve a hat-trick of Top 40 releases with Welcome To The Planet.
For those who haven’t yet purchased or listened, a purchase or streaming before Friday of this week will be counted as part of the chart assessment process.
We don’t yet know what the future for Big Big Train will be but we will shortly be giving consideration to whether we can continue as a band.
We would like to thank all of our listeners for their support during this very difficult period.
Best wishes
Carly, Clare, Dave, Gregory, Nick and Rikard
Big Big Train
Kind of hard to read that bolded part. I know the band lost a lot of money on their previously canceled US tour, and may have been far enough along in planning for the most recent cancelled tours to have lost a load more. I kind of get the sense that they are waiting to see how the new album does, so hopefully a strong reception will encourage them to carry on. I will say Nick did an interview from Drumeo last week, and I got the sense from his enthusiasm that if it’s up to him the band would carry on. I imagine it’s mostly up to Greg, and perhaps mostly up to whether they have any possibility of digging out of their losses if they can’t make money from touring (they lost money on their UK tour for Grand Tour, and I’m not sure the expected to make much of anything from their US tours had they gone forward). It would really be a shame if they call it quits, but that may just have to be the reality for the time being at least.
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Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.
I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.
All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.
Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).
I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate. The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!
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The February newsletter from BBT:
The new Big Big Train album, Welcome To The Planet was released on 28th January and is available on CD and vinyl for immediate shipping from our official stores at Burning Shed and Bandwagon USA and for download from our Bandcamp store. All the links to our stores can be found at the bottom of this message. The album is also available at Amazon, HMV and other music retailers.
The band’s previous two albums – Grand Tour in 2019 and Common Ground in 2021 - both reached Top 40 in the UK official albums charts. To honour our beloved band mate David and to help spread his musical legacy as widely as possible we would be very pleased if we were able to achieve a hat-trick of Top 40 releases with Welcome To The Planet.
For those who haven’t yet purchased or listened, a purchase or streaming before Friday of this week will be counted as part of the chart assessment process.
We don’t yet know what the future for Big Big Train will be but we will shortly be giving consideration to whether we can continue as a band.
We would like to thank all of our listeners for their support during this very difficult period.
Best wishes
Carly, Clare, Dave, Gregory, Nick and Rikard
Big Big Train
Kind of hard to read that bolded part. I know the band lost a lot of money on their previously canceled US tour, and may have been far enough along in planning for the most recent cancelled tours to have lost a load more. I kind of get the sense that they are waiting to see how the new album does, so hopefully a strong reception will encourage them to carry on. I will say Nick did an interview from Drumeo last week, and I got the sense from his enthusiasm that if it’s up to him the band would carry on. I imagine it’s mostly up to Greg, and perhaps mostly up to whether they have any possibility of digging out of their losses if they can’t make money from touring (they lost money on their UK tour for Grand Tour, and I’m not sure the expected to make much of anything from their US tours had they gone forward). It would really be a shame if they call it quits, but that may just have to be the reality for the time being at least.
Yes, that's really tough to read, but I get it from their perspective. I'm sure they need more time to both heal their wounds and sort out if they have a path forward. Very difficult situation for everyone (fans included) involved.
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Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.
I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.
All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.
Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).
I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate. The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!
The closing trio of The Permanent Way, East Coast Racer, and Curator of Butterflies is especially magnificent IMO. Hard pressed to find a stronger run of music on another album.
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I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?
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I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?
The last two albums have definitely seen the band branch out stylistically, and allowing more of their members contribute to the writing. I think if they continue as a band, that aspect will also continue to develop and perhaps they'll have more diverse albums going forward, such as Rikard's instrumental and Carly's closing track on WTTP.
-Marc.
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I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?
The last two albums have definitely seen the band branch out stylistically, and allowing more of their members contribute to the writing. I think if they continue as a band, that aspect will also continue to develop and perhaps they'll have more diverse albums going forward, such as Rikard's instrumental and Carly's closing track on WTTP.
-Marc.
Yeah, if there was a track that suggests a potential new direction, the title track would be it at least in terms of what Carly might bring to the table as a vocalist and writer. But I think you’d also see Nick playing a bigger role, so stuff like The Connection Plan and All The Love You Can Give would be indicators, and Rikard will likely put more of his stamp on things. Greg will always likely be the main songwriter, so I doubt things will change too radically. I think the biggest shift would be building songs around Nick and Carly’s voices or whoever the new singer would be.
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Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.
I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.
All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.
Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).
I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate. The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!
The closing trio of The Permanent Way, East Coast Racer, and Curator of Butterflies is especially magnificent IMO. Hard pressed to find a stronger run of music on another album.
Yes, Curator of Butterflies is great and brings you back down to earth after East Coast Racer. Actually I'd say from A Boy in Darkness to Curator of Butterflies is pretty close to perfection for me..
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The title track Welcome to the Planet is incredible! Absolutely unlike anything else they've done. They've never done the ethereal echoey harmony vocal thing before, certainly not female-led. One very minor thing I wished is that they would jam on that fun "party" section where they speed up a bit for another minute or so before bringing it back home.
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The title track Welcome to the Planet is incredible! Absolutely unlike anything else they've done. They've never done the ethereal echoey harmony vocal thing before, certainly not female-led. One very minor thing I wished is that they would jam on that fun "party" section where they speed up a bit for another minute or so before bringing it back home.
I've had the same sentiments about that New Orleans street-band section, that I wish it was twice as long, but it's just enough to whet the appetite for that kind of music shoved into a song after some mid-era Beatles-y vocal choir. I always find myself quite excited to reach the end of WTTP now to get to the title track. Easily a favorite of mine from the album so far!
I don't know if it's already been discussed here, but is there a particular song or anything on the new album that points to a possible direction for the band if they decide to carry on?
The last two albums have definitely seen the band branch out stylistically, and allowing more of their members contribute to the writing. I think if they continue as a band, that aspect will also continue to develop and perhaps they'll have more diverse albums going forward, such as Rikard's instrumental and Carly's closing track on WTTP.
-Marc.
Yeah, if there was a track that suggests a potential new direction, the title track would be it at least in terms of what Carly might bring to the table as a vocalist and writer. But I think you’d also see Nick playing a bigger role, so stuff like The Connection Plan and All The Love You Can Give would be indicators, and Rikard will likely put more of his stamp on things. Greg will always likely be the main songwriter, so I doubt things will change too radically. I think the biggest shift would be building songs around Nick and Carly’s voices or whoever the new singer would be.
"The Connection Plan" is another good example of where things might go. I was surprised to learn that the violinist was someone that NDV brought it and recorded at Sweetwater. There are actually 3 different violinists on the album, with Clare on two other songs and Aidan returning from Common Ground for two more songs. If they do continue into this direction musically, I won't be upset as Common Ground and WTTP have both been very good!
Listened to the first half of EE: FP last night and had Hedgerow in my head all day. Just finished up the second half. The Lovers and East Coast Racer are standouts there. The only real miss for me was Leopards. Didn't really feel that track.
I had to do a little work tonight so I threw Folklore on again as background noise. I just love the title track and enjoyed the album even more on the second listen.
All of my physical stuff has shipped and should be arriving around the same time as they both passed through the same post office on the East Coast today. Hoping to have the stuff by Wednesday if I'm lucky.
Leopards is an a bit of an oddball track for EE, but it’s one that I do really love. It really shows off Dave Gregory’s brilliance, and it also features string arrangements by the wonderful chamber pop artist Louis Philippe (whom Longdon, Gregory, and Danny Manners had all worked with in the past).
I really like Leopards too, but it's one of the tracks that took a little longer to appreciate. The whole album is great, but for me, the run of songs from Hedgerow to East Coast Racer, is some of the best music I've ever heard!
The closing trio of The Permanent Way, East Coast Racer, and Curator of Butterflies is especially magnificent IMO. Hard pressed to find a stronger run of music on another album.
Yes, Curator of Butterflies is great and brings you back down to earth after East Coast Racer. Actually I'd say from A Boy in Darkness to Curator of Butterflies is pretty close to perfection for me..
As I've said before here, BBT have pretty much perfected the "Penultimate Epic -> Come Down ballad/softer song" way of ending an album. Every time they've done it, it's been my favorite part of the album.
-Marc.
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Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.
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Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.
TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.
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Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.
TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.
I think the title track is absolutely stunning :hefdaddy
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Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.
TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.
I think the title track is absolutely stunning :hefdaddy
The title track is pretty good, one of my favorites, as well as Skylon. I think the album has great songs but it doesn't work well as an album, more so a compilation, especially given that there's about 40 minutes of stand alone new music here. It's a fine cap to the Folklore/Grimspound era, but don't forget to include rhe Merry Christmas/Snowfalls single as well!
-Marc.
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Looks like all my physical stuff is out for delivery. Good timing as I finished Second Brightest Star last night. I know it is a leftover/expanded/companion to Folklore and Grim. I enjoyed the instrumentals and the expanded tracks.
TSBS is not my favorite release by BBT, but it’s worth owning for the complete version of London Plane alone (with the Turner on the Thames intro), plus the amazing Terra Australis Incognita. The Brookland Sequence is nice to have in one track as well, though there isn’t any new music from what is included on other releases. The other track on there that I really like is The Leaden Stour.
I think the title track is absolutely stunning :hefdaddy
The title track is pretty good, one of my favorites, as well as Skylon. I think the album has great songs but it doesn't work well as an album, more so a compilation, especially given that there's about 40 minutes of stand alone new music here. It's a fine cap to the Folklore/Grimspound era, but don't forget to include rhe Merry Christmas/Snowfalls single as well!
-Marc.
I had meant to say something to ProfessorPeart about the Merry Christmas EP. Not that he doesn’t have plenty of BBT music to tide him over for now, but Snowfalls is an upper tier BBT song in my book and absolutely a must have at some point (and Merry Christmas is also great as holiday tunes go). That one is still available in physical format from Bandwagon.
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Yeah, I have a stack of BBT on my desk right now. It all came. Plus I still need a few things from the Bandcamp page. I'll be busy for a bit.
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Yeah, I have a stack of BBT on my desk right now. It all came. Plus I still need a few things from the Bandcamp page. I'll be busy for a bit.
Awesome! :tup
Enjoy, and please let us know your thoughts as you get through them! Always a joy to read what new fans think of the band as they go back and discover their past releases!
-Marc.
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I just discovered that Reflectors of Light and Stone & Steel are available for purchase from Vimeo. $8 and $12, respectively. Definitely picking those up as I doubt I will ever find a physical Blu-ray of either.
Back to my rabbit hole.
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I just discovered that Reflectors of Light and Stone & Steel are available for purchase from Vimeo. $8 and $12, respectively. Definitely picking those up as I doubt I will ever find a physical Blu-ray of either.
Back to my rabbit hole.
Did you also get the King's Place videos from 2016 as well? Those were the shows that they used to make up the A Stone's Throw From The Line live album, but the live show has some different takes from different nights of that weekend than the 2CD set does. And then there's also some single videos from alternate nights also on YouTube. There was a handy chart somewhere that showed which versions of which songs were released on Vimeo and YouTube as videos and on ASTFTL as audio.
But I'm glad you're getting the live performances as well, since there are currently only four of them available, though I have hope that videos from their other concerts will come out (like the Loreley show they did a few years ago).
-Marc.
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Man, you're killing me! :lol
That Vimeo site is not the most intuitive thing in the world. I eventually figured how to find the King's Place vids. I watched the trailer for one of them and was like, alright, not bad. Then the trailer flips to Rikard just ripping a solo. Bought both parts right there.
Not feeling that great tonight so I decided to just sit back and watch the Reflector show. This is quite awesome.
I still need to download the other shows and load them into my Plex. I have Empire on Blu so I guess I have all 4 now.
EDIT: Holy Crap! A Mead Hall In Winter. Wow, what a performance. Actually my first time hearing the song.
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Man, you're killing me! :lol
Whelp, what can I say? :lol As the resident BBT megafan, I'm just making sure everyone gets a hold of everything they can, even if it's download-only digital concert videos! To be fair, I only got them myself last August, despite being out for a couple of years!
That Vimeo site is not the most intuitive thing in the world. I eventually figured how to find the King's Place vids. I watched the trailer for one of them and was like, alright, not bad. Then the trailer flips to Rikard just ripping a solo. Bought both parts right there.
Not feeling that great tonight so I decided to just sit back and watch the Reflector show. This is quite awesome.
I still need to download the other shows and load them into my Plex. I have Empire on Blu so I guess I have all 4 now.
Glad to hear you've got it all! Hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
EDIT: Holy Crap! A Mead Hall In Winter. Wow, what a performance. Actually my first time hearing the song.
"A Mead Hall In Winter" is the penultimate track and epic on Grimspound. The live version takes the song to higher levels, especially since the brass band play on it live (since there was no brass on Grimspound). Now I'm in the mood to put on Merchants Of Light as I head to bed and give myself a break from CG/WTTP.
-Marc.
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Been a while since I watched Merchants of Light, but it was a really great video (I too only have the Vimeo version).
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For everyone who is in the Passengers Club and for some reason haven't checked out the Loreley NotP version of Mead Hall - you should definitely do that. I think it's the song's best version. The venue fits the band perfectly! Rikard takes his one solo vocal cameo towards the end to another level :lol Also, you can see me a couple of times rocking out in the front row :biggrin:
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For everyone who is in the Passengers Club and for some reason haven't checked out the Loreley NotP version of Mead Hall - you should definitely do that. I think it's the song's best version. The venue fits the band perfectly! Rikard takes his one solo vocal cameo towards the end to another level :lol Also, you can see me a couple of times rocking out in the front row :biggrin:
Oh man, what an awesome experience that night must have been!
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Speaking of the Loreley show, I asked in the Facebook group if it would ever be released and Greg Spawton replied "We hope to find time to mix and release Loreley this year." No specifics on how, if it'll be physical and/or digital, CD and/or BD, but I suspect we will find out soon enough. It would make for a great Christmas gift later this year, for sure. The setlist for the 2018 Loreley show is superb and includes some songs that haven't been released in other live sets. Here's the whole set, with titles in bold that are unique to this show:
The First Rebreather
Folklore
A Mead Hall In Winter
Kingmaker
Summer's Lease
Brave Captain
Prelude And Fugue (Danny Manners Keyboard solo)
Judas Unrepentant
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
The Permanent Way
East Coast Racer
Encore:
Drums And Brass
Wassail
Roughly two hours of music, it would make for a great Empire-like release with 2CDs and a BD of the whole show. And to be honest, I wouldn't even be mad at getting a fourth live versions of "East Coast Racer" and "Wassail". :lol
Edit - Looks like the band's YouTube page has uploaded a video of David recording "Capitoline Venus" in the studio. Greg shared it on Facebook earlier this morning and here's what he had to say about it:
We’re coming towards the end of release week of the Welcome To The Planet album and we wanted to share one more piece of film footage.
In July of last year, David popped down to Aubitt studios in Southampton. It was where his work with BBT began in 2009 and he always enjoyed recording there. We were finishing work on the Welcome To The Planet album and he had one last song to do, which was Capitoline Venus.
David sang the song straight through four times and, for the last couple of takes, we had a camera running. The footage we are sharing today is of the fourth and final take.
What Rob Aubrey and I were not to know was that this would be the last time we would record with David at Aubitt Studios.
We hope the film gives an insight into what working with David was like. He was quick and focused when at the microphone but always ready with a laugh or smile which meant the days were full of fun.
We know we have been trying to promote new music at a time when it isn’t really that important to us, but, music is what we do and it is what David would have expected of us.
Thank you for listening.
Gregory Spawton
Big Big Train
https://youtu.be/yWtHfhctG8E
-Marc.
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Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E
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Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E
Thanks for sharing it right after I did. ;)
But yeah, a very touching video. Had me emotional when I saw it earlier this morning on Greg's Facebook.
-Marc.
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Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E
Thanks for sharing it right after I did. ;)
But yeah, a very touching video. Had me emotional when I saw it earlier this morning on Greg's Facebook.
-Marc.
Woops, didn’t see the edit!
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Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E
Just watched this. He was so amazing! Such a loss. I guess I got my first taste of the new album there -sounded amazing! I started to get a bit choked up.
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One thing I notice about Welcome To The Planet is how on a few tracks the brass band get to have a bit of fun instead of just playing in the straight English brass band tradition. Particularly on Bats in the Belfry and the title track.
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One thing I notice about Welcome To The Planet is how on a few tracks the brass band get to have a bit of fun instead of just playing in the straight English brass band tradition. Particularly on Bats in the Belfry and the title track.
They really let loose on this album, participating on FIVE songs this time around, as opposed to two on Common Ground. And if you count the Belle Antique pressing bonus track, "Endnotes Overture", they have a whole piece to themselves!
I'm also glad that NDV seems to enjoy writing instrumentals that include them, as "Bats In The Belfry" is now his fourth instrumental piece, following on from "Pantheon", "Don't Forget The Telescope", and "Apollo", and after the latter came out, I jokingly said in the BBT Facebook forum that every album needs an NDV instrumental featuring the brass band. I guess maybe they listened because "Bats In The Belfry" is fantastic!
-Marc.
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The brass is simply magnificent. As a former brass band player it's just a perfect combination for me!
I'm sure quite a few of you prog enthusiasts would enjoy brass music as well. It has many of the same components - long instrumental pieces with various themes weaved into each other.
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The brass is simply magnificent. As a former brass band player it's just a perfect combination for me!
I'm sure quite a few of you prog enthusiasts would enjoy brass music as well. It has many of the same components - long instrumental pieces with various themes weaved into each other.
I don’t think of myself as a big brass fan, but in recent years I seem to be collecting a lot more music that includes it to some extent, even if it’s just the odd trumpet or horn here or there. Brass really can be very lovely and does strike a certain chord when done right.
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I've been playing "Made from Sunshine" all day. What a tune. And "Bats in the Belfry" - so cool! I think I need this album.
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Doug Helvering has posted his reaction to "Proper Jack Froster"! I haven't seen it yet as I am currently stuck at work for a couple more hours, but it's interesting to note that he asked us fellow Passengers on Facebook which song from WTTP to cover, and plenty of us brought up "Lanterna", "Proper Jack Froster", and the title track, so I hope he gets around to the other two eventually.
-Marc.
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Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers. I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.? If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.
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Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers. I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.? If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.
Spawton has historically been the main songwriter in the band, and is the lone member who has been constant since the band started in the early 90s. He was the main writer up until Longdon joined, and he was credited with all of The Underfall Yard as well (though Longdon had a lot of arranging and production input to those songs). From then on, he and David started splitting up the songwriting fairly evenly (or co-writing). Spawton was responsible for a lot of the signature BBT songs like Victorian Brickwork and East Coast Racer, but then Longdon did things like Uncle Jack, Judas Unrepentant, Wassail, Winkie, etc. I’d say Spawton is still the main writer, but from about Grimspound on some of the others started to contribute more material in addition to Spawton and Longdon.
But now with Carly and Dave being new writers and Nick having at least two songs on each of the last 3 albums, the band is starting to shoot off into some different directions. Rikard also has been contributing more to the last two albums since he’s the main keyboard player and main guitarist now.
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Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers. I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.? If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.
Spawton has historically been the main songwriter in the band, and is the lone member who has been constant since the band started in the early 90s. He was the main writer up until Longdon joined, and he was credited with all of The Underfall Yard as well (though Longdon had a lot of arranging and production input to those songs). From then on, he and David started splitting up the songwriting fairly evenly (or co-writing). Spawton was responsible for a lot of the signature BBT songs like Victorian Brickwork and East Coast Racer, but then Longdon did things like Uncle Jack, Judas Unrepentant, Wassail, Winkie, etc. I’d say Spawton is still the main writer, but from about Grimspound on some of the others started to contribute more material in addition to Spawton and Longdon.
But now with Carly and Dave being new writers and Nick having at least two songs on each of the last 3 albums, the band is starting to shoot off into some different directions. Rikard also has been contributing more to the last two albums since he’s the main keyboard player and main guitarist now.
Great, thanks for the info HOF. That songwriting duo of Spawton and Longdon was pretty fierce. Incredible stuff! Sorry for the derailment.
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Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers. I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.? If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.
Spawton has historically been the main songwriter in the band, and is the lone member who has been constant since the band started in the early 90s. He was the main writer up until Longdon joined, and he was credited with all of The Underfall Yard as well (though Longdon had a lot of arranging and production input to those songs). From then on, he and David started splitting up the songwriting fairly evenly (or co-writing). Spawton was responsible for a lot of the signature BBT songs like Victorian Brickwork and East Coast Racer, but then Longdon did things like Uncle Jack, Judas Unrepentant, Wassail, Winkie, etc. I’d say Spawton is still the main writer, but from about Grimspound on some of the others started to contribute more material in addition to Spawton and Longdon.
But now with Carly and Dave being new writers and Nick having at least two songs on each of the last 3 albums, the band is starting to shoot off into some different directions. Rikard also has been contributing more to the last two albums since he’s the main keyboard player and main guitarist now.
Great, thanks for the info HOF. That songwriting duo of Spawton and Longdon was pretty fierce. Incredible stuff! Sorry for the derailment.
Not a derailment! We’ve got a couple people going through the discovery process right now, so no worries about asking any questions about the history of the band or whatever.
To be sure, Greg Spawton is a tremendous songwriter, and has been from the early days of BBT (even if the band as a whole wasn’t of the same caliber as it is now). But then Longdon also brought his own writing and arranging strengths to the band, and I think the two really did push and shape each other as musicians. They really were an amazing duo.
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This Friday is another Bandcamp Friday so I am going to wait until then and pick up a few more things. Hopefully, the little extra coin will help them.
I finished Reflector today and it was just spectacular. Looking forward to watching the other live shows (and everything else I still need to listen to).
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This Friday is another Bandcamp Friday so I am going to wait until then and pick up a few more things. Hopefully, the little extra coin will help them.
I finished Reflector today and it was just spectacular. Looking forward to watching the other live shows (and everything else I still need to listen to).
As good as Reflector is, the sound and picture quality of Empire is even better. That one is so good.
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This Friday is another Bandcamp Friday so I am going to wait until then and pick up a few more things. Hopefully, the little extra coin will help them.
I finished Reflector today and it was just spectacular. Looking forward to watching the other live shows (and everything else I still need to listen to).
As good as Reflector is, the sound and picture quality of Empire is even better. That one is so good.
Each live BD got better and better, from Stone & Steel to Reflectors Of Light there was a visible step-up in production, but Empire is a whole other level. Based on the video they released from the Loreley show of "Folklore", I suspect that concert will turn out pretty well whenever it is released!
And if anyone is curious, here is a playlist I put together last year of all the officially released live videos of BBT! (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcFTq4c-UfVyLHo0NA9iXuY1Pcgy_hJVH)
-Marc.
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At the moment I think WTTP is stronger than CG, I find I listen more to that one. Maybe because it's brand new, but CG isn't ancient either :P
I like to rank things, and right now these are my 10 favourite BBT songs. I haven't heard all of their stuff yet though.
Hedgerow (has overtaken JU as my #1)
Judas Unrepentant
The First Rebreather
Lost Rivers Of London
Swan Hunter
Folklore
Alive
The Strangest Times
Made From Sunshine
Lanterna
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At the moment I think WTTP is stronger than CG, I find I listen more to that one. Maybe because it's brand new, but CG isn't ancient either :P
I like to rank things, and right now these are my 10 favourite BBT songs. I haven't heard all of their stuff yet though.
Hedgerow (has overtaken JU as my #1)
Judas Unrepentant
The First Rebreather
Lost Rivers Of London
Swan Hunter
Folklore
Alive
The Strangest Times
Made From Sunshine
Lanterna
Really hard to come up with a hard and fast list of favorites, but my number one is most likely Victorian Brickwork.
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If I had to pick ten favorite BBT songs, these might be among them today:
Victorian Brickwork
Kingmaker
East Coast Racer
Curator Of Butterflies
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
Brave Captain
A Mead Hall In Winter
Voyager
Atlantic Cable
London Song (Summer's Lease ver.)
That last one is probably cheating as it's really a suite of 6 songs, but it's one track! :lol
I could probably pick more/different songs but this is how I feel today. I almost put the title track of the new album as well. I tried picking no more than 2 from an album, which kind of worked out really. Ironically, 7 of those 10 appear on Summer's Lease (the first six plus "London Song").
-Marc.
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Looks like I'll have to check out Summer's Lease then :)
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Looks like I'll have to check out Summer's Lease then :)
It's a really beautifully put together compilation album, probably one of the best band compilations I own, especially since it isn't just a collection of all previously released material as there are some exclusive versions of songs on there, plus one entirely new song made just for it (the NDV instrumental "Don't Forget The Telescope").
Not a must-have compilation but if you're a die-hard BBT fan, it's definitely worth adding to the collection.
Here's my IG Post of the compilation from back in April 2020.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_oWnrDhPGY/?utm_medium=copy_link
-Marc.
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Doug Helvering has posted his reaction to "Proper Jack Froster"! I haven't seen it yet as I am currently stuck at work for a couple more hours, but it's interesting to note that he asked us fellow Passengers on Facebook which song from WTTP to cover, and plenty of us brought up "Lanterna", "Proper Jack Froster", and the title track, so I hope he gets around to the other two eventually.
-Marc.
Glad that Doug has become such a supporter of the band in such a short time. Reading through the comments, I saw several people comment that they had not heard of the band before and would have to check out the album. So hopefully some new fans will be born as a result of this one.
Proper Jack Forster is the one pre-release track that I allowed myself to listen to with some frequency as it felt appropriate over the holidays. A lot of people mentioned tearing up from the video, and I definitely did the first time I watched it (this was after David passed). People were mentioning the vocal harmony on “do you remember when snow fell at Christmas,” but the part that kicks me in the gut every time is when Greg’s bass pedals kick in during the instrumental section. That’s really a standout instrumental section and solo in a catalog that’s full of amazing instrumental sections. Really love Dave Foster’s work there.
Random question though, has anyone noticed the sort of hum/buzz or maybe it’s feedback when the guitar solo starts? It almost sounds like the guitar is resonating with something else in the room (I doubt it was recorded in a room with drums, but that’s kind of what it sounds like). It’s a weird artifact that I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be there or not, but I kind of like how it gives the guitar some extra personality there.
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To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out. But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.
Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc.. What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?
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To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out. But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.
Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc.. What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?
I'd say Empire has the best audio of their live albums. But it doesn't include a few essential tracks, like Victorian Brickwork and A Mead Hall In Winter. That being said, I think all of their live albums sound phenomenal.
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To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out. But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.
Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc.. What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?
Glad you mentioned Fat Billy. That’s definitely a favorite that doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention.
Empire is the band’s best sounding/looking live release. It is a bit heavy on material from Grand Tour, so you might want to get that one before you watch it. But I definitely recommend Empire as a concert film that everyone should own. As Fritz said though, there are some songs exclusive to the other two live films that make them worth getting. (Victorian Brickwork, Kingmaker, etc.).
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As far as audio live albums, A Stone's Throw From The Line was their first, and features about 2hr5m of music, mostly from EE and TUY.
Their next one, Merchants Of Light is about 11 minutes longer and features 9 songs from Folklore and Grimspound, and is their longest live release to date. It has a great setlist that covers a fair amount of material between 2009-2017.
I'll agree that Empire looks and sounds great, but it is mostly music from Grand Tour, and the show is only 1hr38m long, significantly shorter than their previous two.
Honestly, I'd say just grab all 3 in the order they were released, especially if you haven't gotten around to listening to Grand Tour yet.
As a reminder, tomorrow will be Bandcamp Friday so all purchases will directly go to artists as Bandcamp won't take any profits from sales, so if you're thinking of supporting BBT through Bandcamp, tomorrow would be a good time to do it!
-Marc.
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To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out. But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.
Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc.. What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?
I'd say Empire has the best audio of their live albums. But it doesn't include a few essential tracks, like Victorian Brickwork and A Mead Hall In Winter. That being said, I think all of their live albums sound phenomenal.
OK, thanks guys for the recommendations. I'll probably pick them all up as Marc suggests in order of their release. Makes the most sense especially since I'm loving this band right now!
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To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out. But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.
Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc.. What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?
Glad you mentioned Fat Billy. That’s definitely a favorite that doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention.
Empire is the band’s best sounding/looking live release. It is a bit heavy on material from Grand Tour, so you might want to get that one before you watch it. But I definitely recommend Empire as a concert film that everyone should own. As Fritz said though, there are some songs exclusive to the other two live films that make them worth getting. (Victorian Brickwork, Kingmaker, etc.).
Yes, love Fat Billy. Love the keyboard solos and guitar solo at the end. Really cool tune!
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My wife is off today, which means I have full control over the tunes today. (We both work from home, but our workstations are next to each other, so tunes must be agreed upon, or we alternate who gets to pick.) So today was the day to download English Electric Full Power. I did so.
I do try to support brick and mortar stores, but since no one around here has any Big Big Train, I bit the bullet and went to Amazon to order Welcome to the Planet. They have it listed as available Feb 4. Tomorrow? It's out already! So screw them, I went back to Bandcamp and downloaded Welcome to the Planet, for a fraction of the price. I prefer physical media, but I guess I'll get over it.
I loaded up both albums, and have been listening to them all day on repeat. Pretty amazing stuff.
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My wife is off today, which means I have full control over the tunes today. (We both work from home, but our workstations are next to each other, so tunes must be agreed upon, or we alternate who gets to pick.) So today was the day to download English Electric Full Power. I did so.
I do try to support brick and mortar stores, but since no one around here has any Big Big Train, I bit the bullet and went to Amazon to order Welcome to the Planet. They have it listed as available Feb 4. Tomorrow? It's out already! So screw them, I went back to Bandcamp and downloaded Welcome to the Planet, for a fraction of the price. I prefer physical media, but I guess I'll get over it.
I loaded up both albums, and have been listening to them all day on repeat. Pretty amazing stuff.
Bandcamp is probably one of the best places in terms of supporting the band anyway, so that’s probably for the best! If you decide you still want a physical copy of the new album, the official US shop for BBT is Bandwagon USA. Rita, who runs that site, does a good job.
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train/products/big-big-train-welcome-to-the-planet-cd-pre-order-only
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Cool, I'll try to remember that.
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Okay, the ripping Rikard solo I was talking about from the trailer for King's Place was from Victorian Brickwork. Watching Act One now and he just tore it up.
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I've owned English Electric 1 & 2 for years, but never paid much attention to them until recently. I gave them both a listen after David's passing, and there's some really awesome music here. David has a wonderful voice, and I'm sad I didn't appreciate it more when he was alive.
Today's Bandcamp Friday, so I decided to pick up:
Welcome to the Planet
Common Ground
Grand Tour
The Second Brightest Star
Grimspound
Folklore
The Underfall Yard
and Summer's Lease
Currently listening to the newest album.
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I've owned English Electric 1 & 2 for years, but never paid much attention to them until recently. I gave them both a listen after David's passing, and there's some really awesome music here. David has a wonderful voice, and I'm sad I didn't appreciate it more when he was alive.
Today's Bandcamp Friday, so I decided to pick up:
Welcome to the Planet
Common Ground
Grand Tour
The Second Brightest Star
Grimspound
Folklore
The Underfall Yard
and Summer's Lease
Currently listening to the newest album.
Glad you gave them another listen! Thankfully, David and the band made the most of the time they had and there’s lots of music for you to explore and enjoy.
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I've owned English Electric 1 & 2 for years, but never paid much attention to them until recently. I gave them both a listen after David's passing, and there's some really awesome music here. David has a wonderful voice, and I'm sad I didn't appreciate it more when he was alive.
Today's Bandcamp Friday, so I decided to pick up:
Welcome to the Planet
Common Ground
Grand Tour
The Second Brightest Star
Grimspound
Folklore
The Underfall Yard
and Summer's Lease
Currently listening to the newest album.
That's a good haul! Hours of music to discovery, a lifetime of musical enjoyment! Hope they all strike your fancy in the same way that EE1 and EE2 have done, if not more so!
Glad you gave them another listen! Thankfully, David and the band made the most of the time they had and there’s lots of music for you to explore and enjoy.
Seriously, it's amazing just how much music they put out between 2009-2022: nine full studio albums, a few EPs, a few singles, 3 live albums, a compilation, an online members-only service that offers exclusive digital content (audio/video/blogs), and a very gracious and polite fanbase that welcomes any and all new fans with open arms. In the slightly-under-a-decade that I've been a fan of them, I can comfortably say that they've risen to a Top 5 artist/band of all time for me, possibly placing 3rd behind my mainstays, Rush and Dream Theater.
-Marc.
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Alright, got my 2nd Bandcamp haul today.
Far Skies Deep Time
From Stone And Steel
Snowfalls
Merchants Of Light
Expecting Snow / Wind Distorted Pioneers / London Song 2020 / Don't Forget The Telescope (from Summer's Lease)
I decided I did not need to buy the whole Summer's Lease album so I just grabbed what I was missing. Needed to save a few bucks after the BBT splurge.
There are still CD's out there for Stone's Throw so I will pursue that first before buying from Bandcamp.
EDIT: Just finished loading all of my BBT into my iTunes library. 128 tracks, 17 hours 43 minutes. I got a lot to listen to.
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I'm listening to The Second Brightest Star now for the first time. What a lovely title track.
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I'm listening to The Second Brightest Star now for the first time. What a lovely title track.
I agree. This song is what David Longdon was about. Beautiful melody, great arrangement. Amazing vocal performance.
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I'm listening to The Second Brightest Star now for the first time. What a lovely title track.
I agree. This song is what David Longdon was about. Beautiful melody, great arrangement. Amazing vocal performance.
That is a great song, very underrated and underappreciated. The album is, and largely not talked about either, I think, because it was overshadowed by the likes of Folklore and Grimspound, especially since it mostly a "companion album" to those two. It kind of feels like an album of leftovers given the number of instrumentals and the amount of mellow, low-tempo pieces on it, it feels a bit different than the two albums that came before.
I was actually listening to The Second Brightest Star the album last night, and it really fit the mood I was in - a bit somber and conetmplative - which led me to believe there is a BBT album and/or song for every mood.
-Marc.
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I truly felt David's loss for the first time tonight. Finishing up the King's Place show and, my god, his performance on East Coast Racer. Just perfection. From his voice to the way he owned the stage on that track. I felt like the one dude in the crowd who just stuck his fist high in the air while David just holds that long note.
That one just hit hard.
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Someone had uploaded the entire Merchants Of Light DVD on Youtube, so I watched it last night. Great performance, and a really good setlist (I only missed Hedgerow).
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I truly felt David's loss for the first time tonight. Finishing up the King's Place show and, my god, his performance on East Coast Racer. Just perfection. From his voice to the way he owned the stage on that track. I felt like the one dude in the crowd who just stuck his fist high in the air while David just holds that long note.
That one just hit hard.
IMO East Coast Racer (on record or live) is David’s best vocal performance, and the “she flieeees” part is his signature moment. That was Greg’s song, but David’s performance brought it to life. It’s also the last song he performed live with the band as it closes the Empire concert.
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The opening track ("Alive") on Empire gets me. He comes out and sings "It's good to be alive" and the first time I watched it was only days after I'd heard he died. :(
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The opening track ("Alive") on Empire gets me. He comes out and sings "It's good to be alive" and the first time I watched it was only days after I'd heard he died. :(
Yes, that one is going to always hit hard probably.
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I truly felt David's loss for the first time tonight. Finishing up the King's Place show and, my god, his performance on East Coast Racer. Just perfection. From his voice to the way he owned the stage on that track. I felt like the one dude in the crowd who just stuck his fist high in the air while David just holds that long note.
That one just hit hard.
IMO East Coast Racer (on record or live) is David’s best vocal performance, and the “she flieeees” part is his signature moment. That was Greg’s song, but David’s performance brought it to life. It’s also the last song he performed live with the band as it closes the Empire concert.
Not only is it his best vocal performance, for me it's one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard in my life (52 years old). Amazing track!!
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So I've been taking a bit of a break from the Common Ground/Welcome To The Planet songs over the last couple days to revisit the early-Longdon material, and I came up with a playlist that combines TUY and FSDT into a 1:54:14 playlist. It's semi-tentative, as I might still move a couple things around, but listening to it in order over the last couple of days, I think it might be the final order for this "Full Power" version of these two albums:
01. Prelude To The Underfall Yard (2020)
02. The Underfall Yard (2020)
03. Evening Star (2021 Remix/Remaster)
04. Master James Of St. George (2021 Remix/Remaster)
05. Brambling (2017 Remaster)
06. Kingmaker (Live At Real World Studios, from Summer's Lease)
07. Songs From The Shoreline: i. Victorian Brickwork, ii. Fat Billy Shouts Mine (2020 Version)
08. British Racing Green (2017 Remaster)
09. Master Of Time (2017 Remaster)
10. Last Train (2021 Remix/Remaster)
11. Winchester Diver (2021 Remix/Remaster)
12. The Wide Open Sea (2017 Remaster)
This all started when I was listening to the WTTP Bonus Track (from the Belle Antique released Japanese version), titled "Endnotes Overture", which is a brass piece that was seemingly written for Common Ground as an album opener, but was dropped due to it reprising themes heard at the end of the album in "Endnotes" being deemed too similar to what they did on Grand Tour (opening and closing the album with reprised themes). So I guess the band shelved the overture but used it as a bonus track for the Japanese release (rather than have Rikard write another piano piece like he did for GT and CG).
Anyways, I wanted to hear more brass stuff, and then I remembered about the "Prelude To The Underfall Yard" and so I started making up a playlist using the 2021 re-release of TUY and the 2017 remaster of FSDT to include all the songs on both, especially since the band combined "Victorian Brickwork" and "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" on the "Songs From The Shoreline" duo. Granted, not all of the songs on FSDT were written at the time of TUY (some were written as far back as Bard), they were all recorded and re-written/arranged by the band at that time, so it felt right to include them all in this compilation.
Maybe in a few weeks, I'll get around to making a compiled playlist of the songs from CG and WTTP, but that might be a bit trickier to figure out.
-Marc.
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So I've been taking a bit of a break from the Common Ground/Welcome To The Planet songs over the last couple days to revisit the early-Longdon material, and I came up with a playlist that combines TUY and FSDT into a 1:54:14 playlist. It's semi-tentative, as I might still move a couple things around, but listening to it in order over the last couple of days, I think it might be the final order for this "Full Power" version of these two albums:
01. Prelude To The Underfall Yard (2020)
02. The Underfall Yard (2020)
03. Evening Star (2021 Remix/Remaster)
04. Master James Of St. George (2021 Remix/Remaster)
05. Brambling (2017 Remaster)
06. Kingmaker (Live At Real World Studios, from Summer's Lease)
07. Songs From The Shoreline: i. Victorian Brickwork, ii. Fat Billy Shouts Mine (2020 Version)
08. British Racing Green (2017 Remaster)
09. Master Of Time (2017 Remaster)
10. Last Train (2021 Remix/Remaster)
11. Winchester Diver (2021 Remix/Remaster)
12. The Wide Open Sea (2017 Remaster)
So my main issue with this is that it includes the 2020 re-recorded version of Victorian Brickwork, which suffers from the sole fact that the original recording was perfection. There’s nothing bad about it, you just can’t top perfection. :-)
The other thing is that Evening Star is already a prelude to The Underfall Yard of sorts (or more of an overture maybe). Kind of odd for it to follow TUY, but I do like the idea of opening with TUY.
When I’ve attempted to merge these two releases, I’ve always wanted to combine Victorian Brickwork, Fat Billy, and The Wide Open Sea into one suite. Not sure I ever came up with an order I was totally happy with for combining both albums.
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So I've been taking a bit of a break from the Common Ground/Welcome To The Planet songs over the last couple days to revisit the early-Longdon material, and I came up with a playlist that combines TUY and FSDT into a 1:54:14 playlist. It's semi-tentative, as I might still move a couple things around, but listening to it in order over the last couple of days, I think it might be the final order for this "Full Power" version of these two albums:
01. Prelude To The Underfall Yard (2020)
02. The Underfall Yard (2020)
03. Evening Star (2021 Remix/Remaster)
04. Master James Of St. George (2021 Remix/Remaster)
05. Brambling (2017 Remaster)
06. Kingmaker (Live At Real World Studios, from Summer's Lease)
07. Songs From The Shoreline: i. Victorian Brickwork, ii. Fat Billy Shouts Mine (2020 Version)
08. British Racing Green (2017 Remaster)
09. Master Of Time (2017 Remaster)
10. Last Train (2021 Remix/Remaster)
11. Winchester Diver (2021 Remix/Remaster)
12. The Wide Open Sea (2017 Remaster)
So my main issue with this is that it includes the 2020 re-recorded version of Victorian Brickwork, which suffers from the sole fact that the original recording was perfection. There’s nothing bad about it, you just can’t top perfection. :-)
The other thing is that Evening Star is already a prelude to The Underfall Yard of sorts (or more of an overture maybe). Kind of odd for it to follow TUY, but I do like the idea of opening with TUY.
When I’ve attempted to merge these two releases, I’ve always wanted to combine Victorian Brickwork, Fat Billy, and The Wide Open Sea into one suite. Not sure I ever came up with an order I was totally happy with for combining both albums.
I will say the original version of "Victorian Brickwork" is great, I do enjoy the "live feel" that the 2020 version has, especially where it doesn't fade out from the fast section before the trumpet solo, where I like the more natural decrescendo of the music rather than a studio fade-out that the original has.
The only reason I put "Evening Star" after "The Underfall Yard" was to give the feel of the original album playing on repeat. If you played it on repeat on CD or in a digital playlist, it would just loop back to "Evening Star", so it kind of gives that illusion. As for the rest of my playlist, it just sort of fell in place, and some songs felt right being next to each other as they were on their original albums (following "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" with "British Racing Green", or "Winchester Diver" following "Last Train").
-Marc.
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EE Full Power is one of my favorite albums ever. David was an incredible singer.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful and a bit ghoulish, but has the cause of David’s passing been elaborated on besides an “accident”? I know it’s none of my beeswax but was it an automobile accident or home or something else? I have tried to look on line but all I see was accident. Just kind of strange in my opinion.
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EE Full Power is one of my favorite albums ever. David was an incredible singer.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful and a bit ghoulish, but has the cause of David’s passing been elaborated on besides an “accident”? I know it’s none of my beeswax but was it an automobile accident or home or something else? I have tried to look on line but all I see was accident. Just kind of strange in my opinion.
His partner Sarah Ewing shared some details in this Facebook post.
https://progarchy.com/2021/11/24/sarah-ewing-%E2%99%A5-david-longdon/comment-page-1/
Sarah Ewing’s Nov 23 FB post:
“I almost wish we were butterflies and lived but three Summer days. Three such days with you, I could fill with more delight than 50 common years could ever contain”~ John Keats
I am not sure where to begin or what to write. Or even if I should write at all. But the out-pouring of grief has been profound and deeply moving. So I wanted to say something.
To put pay to the rumours, speculation, inaccurate reporting and perhaps to help some of you with your own questions and sense of loss, I can tell you that David had a traumatic fall at our cottage during the early hours of Friday morning. I am not going to share everything which took place. Those intimate details are just for band members, David’s beautiful girls, his Mum and me. But I will tell you that David left this life being held in my arms on Saturday 20th November. I told him how much I loved him, that he was safe and that it was time to take the next step on his great adventure. To be with him during his very last moments is the greatest tragedy and greatest privilege of my life.
I waited all my life for David. He filled up my heart. He was inspirational, thoughtful, kind, generous, gentle, loving and funny. Goodness me, was he funny. We would laugh and laugh every day. He was the best of all men.
He leaves an enormous legacy behind. Not only in terms of his creative output but also the many lives he has touched, the friends he has made and the strong unshakeable brotherhood he shared with Danny, Dave G, Rikard, NDV and of course his dearest Greg.
I know David will always be right by my side. But if I ever feel I need that extra connection, I can always reach for the music. And so can you. Because even though he told us that we will find him in the hedgerow, let me tell you a secret : it’s not true. He’s in the music. That is where you will find him.
Good bye my beautiful boy – until we meet again one day.
X
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The audio of David and Carly’s live performance of Welcome to the Planet is now available on Spotify, Amazon Music, etc.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2QkqnQhAfhytggnqrwjZbJ?fbclid=IwAR2d5VIDDWdCcYPah0lsEIMjgHZ1ZW1cWnpCMAUidekREYmZRc0N8B5QABI
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https://youtu.be/0GyHVQtX66s
The band have shared an interview with Carly Bryant. Haven't seen it yet, so I'll come back here with my thoughts afterwards.
-Marc.
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EE Full Power is one of my favorite albums ever. David was an incredible singer.
Agree 100%. I picked up just the audio of A Stone's Throw from the Line from their Bandcamp Friday. What an amazing performance, David was such a great singer! The set-list is awesome too - basically TUY and EE tracks. I wish I would have been able to see a show like this in person.
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EE Full Power is one of my favorite albums ever. David was an incredible singer.
Agree 100%. I picked up just the audio of A Stone's Throw from the Line from their Bandcamp Friday. What an amazing performance, David was such a great singer! The set-list is awesome too - basically TUY and EE tracks. I wish I would have been able to see a show like this in person.
A Stone's Throw From The Line is audio only anyway, taken from the three shows of the King's Place concerts, which are available as Vimeo downloads, so no video representation is available in physical format. Likewise, Merchants Of Light is the audio release of Reflectors Of Light, which was a BD that came out *after* MOL. Empire was their first release to feature both audio and video in one package, released at the same time. I'm hoping they do the same with the Loreley 2018 concert as well. The Empire package is quite well done, one of my favorites from the band and I'd love to see the Loreley concert receive the same treatment.
And while it wasn't a live concert per se, the live-in-studio BD, Stone And Steel (recorded in 2014, IIRC), had a digital-only audio release through Bandcamp titled From Stone And Steel, which features a lot of the same songs they would go on to play at King's Place the following year in 2015. As it stands, those are the only 4 live releases from the band so far, with the Loreley show to be the fifth, and so, every setlist of theirs since David joined will have had a live release of some sort.
As a die-hard fan, I am thankful that the band is able to share all of this material from their shows over the last 8 years.
-Marc.
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EE Full Power is one of my favorite albums ever. David was an incredible singer.
Agree 100%. I picked up just the audio of A Stone's Throw from the Line from their Bandcamp Friday. What an amazing performance, David was such a great singer! The set-list is awesome too - basically TUY and EE tracks. I wish I would have been able to see a show like this in person.
A Stone's Throw From The Line is audio only anyway, taken from the three shows of the King's Place concerts, which are available as Vimeo downloads, so no video representation is available in physical format.
OK, thanks for the additional info. I know I had seen a live clip of Victorian Brickwork on YouTube from one of the Kings Place shows, so just assumed there was a BD.
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EE Full Power is one of my favorite albums ever. David was an incredible singer.
Agree 100%. I picked up just the audio of A Stone's Throw from the Line from their Bandcamp Friday. What an amazing performance, David was such a great singer! The set-list is awesome too - basically TUY and EE tracks. I wish I would have been able to see a show like this in person.
A Stone's Throw From The Line is audio only anyway, taken from the three shows of the King's Place concerts, which are available as Vimeo downloads, so no video representation is available in physical format.
OK, thanks for the additional info. I know I had seen a live clip of Victorian Brickwork on YouTube from one of the Kings Place shows, so just assumed there was a BD.
Yeah, I was kind of bummed that the King's Place concert(s) were digital only for video as I would've love to have it on BD, but being that it was in the front half of David's time with the band, I think costs were an issue. They probably weren't sure they could turn a profit on it, but I gladly paid for the Vimeo download anyway.
-Marc.
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@HOF thanks for the information, I didn't see that.
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A STATEMENT FROM BIG BIG TRAIN MANAGER NICK SHILTON
As the promotional campaign for the Welcome To The Planet album approaches an end, we feel that the time is right to address the question of the future of Big Big Train following David Longdon’s death.
Several years ago David expressed the clear wish that if ever he were not around, he would want Big Big Train to continue. Of course none of us foresaw the tragic situation that happened in November last year.
After careful consideration, and with the active encouragement of David’s partner Sarah, we have decided to honour David’s wishes.
Big Big Train will therefore seek to continue as a band and will perform live and release new music in due course. More specific details of the band’s line-up and planned activities will follow in further announcements, including an opportunity for fans to celebrate David’s life and musical legacy.
Nick Shilton
Manager
Big Big Train
I figured this might be the case but it's good to know they will continue forward!
-Marc.
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Oh that's great, and good to know that it's what David would have wanted as well.
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That's really good news. I've already seen it tossed around on their facebook page by some people, but I seriously hope they DO NOT have NDV jump in the lead vocal spot. I love everything Nick does, but I feel like his voice is very specific and works better as an accompaniment. Hopefully someone unknown who can capture the spirit of Longdon's voice jumps in.
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Wonderful news, if still a little sad to even think about. I still think it would be great for them to bring in Peter Jones, even if just for some live concerts as he sounds a bit like Longdon. But I’d also be happy if they just had Nick, Carly, and Rikard share lead vocals duties. Whatever they do I’m sure it will be great though.
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Not surprised in the least. I had a feeling something along the lines of 'David would want us to continue' would come out.
I also do no want NDV on lead vocals. Both his and Rikard's voices are too high for what I would want on these songs. That's not a slight on either. I mean, I busted out Gungfly's Friendship last night. Such a masterpiece.
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Not surprised in the least. I had a feeling something along the lines of 'David would want us to continue' would come out.
I also do no want NDV on lead vocals. Both his and Rikard's voices are too high for what I would want on these songs. That's not a slight on either. I mean, I busted out Gungfly's Friendship last night. Such a masterpiece.
I think there are some tracks that Nick will pull off just fine and that might even benefit from his particular vocal style, like this rendition of Transit of Venus Across the Sun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpwpAJm1sA
But I think you'd lose some necessary British-ness with some of the material, and of course he's not going to have that same Peter Gabriel rasp to his voice. In some ways I don't want them to bring in somebody who sounds just like David either though. Which is why I think their best next move is to record some new music with Nick/Carly/Rikard on vocals before touring again so that they won't be totally dependent on David's material. I also like that Carly has a little bit lower-set voice, which might fit the BBT style a bit better and pair well with Nick's voice.
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Great news indeed! I also don't want Nick to be the lead-singer, not that I don't like his voice (I like it quite a bit) but I'd rather him be the incredible drummer that he is who occasionally sings lead. I think maybe they should try to find a talented unknown musician - kind of like what Neal Morse did with Eric and Bill.
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So right after I saw that epic performance of East Coast Racer from King's Place, I immediately ordered Stone's Throw. I honestly can't stop listening to that version of the song. It's become a favorite, if not my favorite, track right now.
I still have to listen to Grand Tour, Empire and Planet. I'm sort of avoiding Empire for obvious reasons. I did notice the last song is East Coast Racer which means David goes out on 'she flies'.
As it stands with what I have listened to so far, Stone's Throw is my preferred live album and Folklore is my favorite studio album at the moment.
I was stuck so long in non-stop metal and it took this band to break me back out into some good old prog. I can't stop listening to them.
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I haven't heard Stone's Throw yet, but Merchants Of Light is a stellar live album. And what a tracklist too.
Empire seems to be heavy on the Grand Tour album, an album that hasn't clicked for me yet, so I'll hold off on that one.
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https://youtu.be/HMtgf9Kcdoc
The band have shared an interview with BBT artist Sarah Louise Ewing.
-Marc.
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So right after I saw that epic performance of East Coast Racer from King's Place, I immediately ordered Stone's Throw. I honestly can't stop listening to that version of the song. It's become a favorite, if not my favorite, track right now.
I still have to listen to Grand Tour, Empire and Planet. I'm sort of avoiding Empire for obvious reasons. I did notice the last song is East Coast Racer which means David goes out on 'she flies'.
As it stands with what I have listened to so far, Stone's Throw is my preferred live album and Folklore is my favorite studio album at the moment.
I was stuck so long in non-stop metal and it took this band to break me back out into some good old prog. I can't stop listening to them.
I just picked up Stone's Throw as well and that version, and the whole concert are awesome! East Coast Racer is one of my favorite songs of all time by anyone, its an amazing piece of music! We're sharing a similar experience (I only want to listen to BBT right now). Folklore is great, and the most recent album I've been digging into. Nothing tops EE Full Power for me though. I just picked up Grimspound but haven't dived into it yet. That's next!
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Continuing with my BBT discovery, the latest album I have fully dived into is Folklore. What can I say, another masterpiece of an album! EE Full Power is still my favorite, but Folklore is incredible as well. Such amazing and beautiful songwriting here (The Transit of Venus, London Plane, Brooklands, Telling the Bees, etc.). I hear the stylistic change on this record, but I'm having a tough time putting the differences to words and describing it. I would say it sounds maybe a bit more modern? I'm maybe hearing some more 80's influences here, (while TUY - EE is more 70's prog influenced), but I still hear that classic prog underbelly as well. How would you more experienced passengers describe the stylistic differences? BBT is probably a top 5 all time band for me now (certainly a top 10) and I've only just scratched the surface of their discography. Next up is Grimspound. I will report back after I've lived with it for a bit.
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Continuing with my BBT discovery, the latest album I have fully dived into is Folklore. What can I say, another masterpiece of an album! EE Full Power is still my favorite, but Folklore is incredible as well. Such amazing and beautiful songwriting here (The Transit of Venus, London Plane, Brooklands, Telling the Bees, etc.). I hear the stylistic change on this record, but I'm having a tough time putting the differences to words and describing it. I would say it sounds maybe a bit more modern? I'm maybe hearing some more 80's influences here, (while TUY - EE is more 70's prog influenced), but I still hear that classic prog underbelly as well. How would you more experienced passengers describe the stylistic differences? BBT is probably a top 5 all time band for me now (certainly a top 10) and I've only just scratched the surface of their discography. Next up is Grimspound. I will report back after I've lived with it for a bit.
Yeah, the progression is subtle but there. As the title suggests, there's more of a folk music influence. Songs like the title track and Wassail have a definite 80s/90s Peter Gabriel vibe (which was intentional, at least on Folklore, since they were recording at Real World). I think some of the shift just came as a result of adding Rikard and Rachel to the mix (and Danny Manners I think became the main keyboardist on that for the first time one as well). Lots more violin throughout starting with this record. I think there was also maybe a bit of a conscious attempt not to sound too much like PG era Genesis as well (even while David's voice was starting to take on more of a lower, later day Gabriel type of quality). They didn't totally get away from it though, as Salisbury Giant definitely gives off Apocalypse in 9/8 vibes (which I love).
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Continuing with my BBT discovery, the latest album I have fully dived into is Folklore. What can I say, another masterpiece of an album! EE Full Power is still my favorite, but Folklore is incredible as well. Such amazing and beautiful songwriting here (The Transit of Venus, London Plane, Brooklands, Telling the Bees, etc.). I hear the stylistic change on this record, but I'm having a tough time putting the differences to words and describing it. I would say it sounds maybe a bit more modern? I'm maybe hearing some more 80's influences here, (while TUY - EE is more 70's prog influenced), but I still hear that classic prog underbelly as well. How would you more experienced passengers describe the stylistic differences? BBT is probably a top 5 all time band for me now (certainly a top 10) and I've only just scratched the surface of their discography. Next up is Grimspound. I will report back after I've lived with it for a bit.
Yeah, the progression is subtle but there. As the title suggests, there's more of a folk music influence. Songs like the title track and Wassail have a definite 80s/90s Peter Gabriel vibe (which was intentional, at least on Folklore, since they were recording at Real World). I think some of the shift just came as a result of adding Rikard and Rachel to the mix (and Danny Manners I think became the main keyboardist on that for the first time one as well). Lots more violin throughout starting with this record. I think there was also maybe a bit of a conscious attempt not to sound too much like PG era Genesis as well (even while David's voice was starting to take on more of a lower, later day Gabriel type of quality). They didn't totally get away from it though, as Salisbury Giant definitely gives off Apocalypse in 9/8 vibes (which I love).
Yes, definitely picking up the folk influence - on at least some of the songs anyway.
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My Blu-ray player has been messing up lately, so it finally occurred to me that it's just a dedicated ROM player with a rudimentary CPU and OS, and since there's no way to "reboot" it (powering it down and up again isn't really the same thing) I just unplugged it and plugged it back in again.
It's behaving much better now, so I put Empire in and watched the whole thing again, loudly, in full 5.1 surround. It's still pretty mindblowing. I have the feeling that that's not gonna change.
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Some cool things shared by Nick today.
Drum cam footage of Nick playing Master James of St. George at Real World Studios (same performance as from Stone in Steel):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sj3xy_oM2c
And Nick's "Groovy Thursday" demonstrating the groove:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPSqBHWbBek
And then here’s the full band performance which was shared by the band today:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1CPVbgfbk3eChU2sVWtgBYA0wP4HWSi2xiAlKGUIfX62y01Wlw7sPP6oY&v=I_0TkCHqTA8&feature=youtu.be
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Been brutally sick since Sunday. Threw on Empire and am watching it for the first time tonight. Beautiful and sad at the same time.
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And then here’s the full band performance which was shared by the band today:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1CPVbgfbk3eChU2sVWtgBYA0wP4HWSi2xiAlKGUIfX62y01Wlw7sPP6oY&v=I_0TkCHqTA8&feature=youtu.be
Holy moly the vocals and drums on this track. Absolutely mind blowing. Thanks for posting.
So my sister's celebration of life is in May. I'm using 'Capitoline Venus' as one of the 2 songs for the video montage.
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And then here’s the full band performance which was shared by the band today:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1CPVbgfbk3eChU2sVWtgBYA0wP4HWSi2xiAlKGUIfX62y01Wlw7sPP6oY&v=I_0TkCHqTA8&feature=youtu.be
Holy moly the vocals and drums on this track. Absolutely mind blowing. Thanks for posting.
So my sister's celebration of life is in May. I'm using 'Capitoline Venus' as one of the 2 songs for the video montage.
A wonderful song to commemorate her with!
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So just some random musings on where I am and what I've seen.
Still need to listen to Grand Tour and the new one.
Watched Empire. Beautiful video. David's range seemed a little lower than previous to me. He clearly did not reach the heights on East Coast Racer that he hit on say, the King's Place performance. Dave didn't seem to get much screen time on that one and, good lord, one of his guitars was an ugly modern art thing. Greg is all of a sudden playing pickless. NDV seems to be playing Zildjian instead of Meinl cymbals like in all of the previous vids. A few first time songs in there. Voyager really stuck out. I need to get a listen in to Grand Tour soon.
Dave came across as this stuffy looking British guy who was all business. Then I saw the Stone and Steel video and realized what a teddy bear he is. Then I discover he was in XTC! As I rewatch some of these videos I can catch he isn't stuffy at all. When he has nothing to play you an catch him bopping along like crazy. I also love the sneak looks he takes over at Rikard when Rikard is wailing something off. Cracking these little smiles as Rikard goes nuts. Kind of like a proud papa. And man, can Dave play. The man got a lot of respect from me for his playing and solos. Not flashy, but not boring.
Folklore has only cemented itself more as my favorite album so far. It's just flawless to me. In what might be controversial, I rate the live albums exactly in order of release. East Coast Racer from Stone's Throw is my top song with probably Folklore right behind it. Still early so things can change, but I think those top 2 are probably safe.
Anyway, that's where I am. I was reading the early pages of this thread and I plan on checking out The Difference Machine over the weekend. Seemed a lot of love for that one.
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The Difference Machine is great, but I like all 4 of those pre-Longdon albums a lot. English Boy Wonders is probably my favorite of those, but then Gathering Speed is great too. I’d say start with The Difference Machine and work your way backwards.
Dave Gregory is one of the great, under-heralded guitarists in rock. He has such a unique approach to playing and did so much great stuff in XTC. Has also a lot of stuff with Steve Hogarth, appeared on Peter Gabriel 3, just kind of done a bunch of stuff. He was in another band called Tin Spirits about the time he joined BBT that was pretty good. He was such a huge addition to BBT at the time. Really was such a professional player to add to the ensemble along with Nick and Longdon.
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I'm a big fan of Dave Gregory's work as well. It's a shame he's no longer in the band.
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Still fighting the flu so haven't spent as much time listening as I'd like. I watched King's Place again. Just veg out on the couch and watch.
I did check out Difference on Bandcamp. I will be picking that up. Dave Meros is one of my all-time faves and he just went bonkers on Perfect Cosmic Storm. Having the rhythm section of the Beard on that track just took it to another level. Looking forward to having that in my hands as Laser CD has in stock.
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Still fighting the flu so haven't spent as much time listening as I'd like. I watched King's Place again. Just veg out on the couch and watch.
I did check out Difference on Bandcamp. I will be picking that up. Dave Meros is one of my all-time faves and he just went bonkers on Perfect Cosmic Storm. Having the rhythm section of the Beard on that track just took it to another level. Looking forward to having that in my hands as Laser CD has in stock.
The first time I heard of BBT was when The Difference Machine came out and it was promoted as including NDV, Dave Meros, and Pete Trewavas. I didn't pick it up at the time, but it put them on my radar and a few years later after The Underfall Yard came out they put a bunch of their music on their website for free download, including The Underfall Yard (title track) and several tracks from The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed. That was the carrot I needed to really start digging in.
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Still fighting the flu so haven't spent as much time listening as I'd like. I watched King's Place again. Just veg out on the couch and watch.
I did check out Difference on Bandcamp. I will be picking that up. Dave Meros is one of my all-time faves and he just went bonkers on Perfect Cosmic Storm. Having the rhythm section of the Beard on that track just took it to another level. Looking forward to having that in my hands as Laser CD has in stock.
The first time I heard of BBT was when The Difference Machine came out and it was promoted as including NDV, Dave Meros, and Pete Trewavas. I didn't pick it up at the time, but it put them on my radar and a few years later after The Underfall Yard came out they put a bunch of their music on their website for free download, including The Underfall Yard (title track) and several tracks from The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed. That was the carrot I needed to really start digging in.
Wait, what? Dave Meros was in BBT? Pete Trewavas too? Sorry, I only have The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, EE Full Power, Folklore and Grimspound (also picked up A Stone's Throw). At some of yours suggestion, I started with TUY, and have gone chronologically forward from there, taking my time and really digging into each album. So I apologize for my ignorance of the bands full history.
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Still fighting the flu so haven't spent as much time listening as I'd like. I watched King's Place again. Just veg out on the couch and watch.
I did check out Difference on Bandcamp. I will be picking that up. Dave Meros is one of my all-time faves and he just went bonkers on Perfect Cosmic Storm. Having the rhythm section of the Beard on that track just took it to another level. Looking forward to having that in my hands as Laser CD has in stock.
The first time I heard of BBT was when The Difference Machine came out and it was promoted as including NDV, Dave Meros, and Pete Trewavas. I didn't pick it up at the time, but it put them on my radar and a few years later after The Underfall Yard came out they put a bunch of their music on their website for free download, including The Underfall Yard (title track) and several tracks from The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed. That was the carrot I needed to really start digging in.
Wait, what? Dave Meros was in BBT? Pete Trewavas too? Sorry, I only have The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, EE Full Power, Folklore and Grimspound (also picked up A Stone's Throw). At some of yours suggestion, I started with TUY, and have gone chronologically forward from there, taking my time and really digging into each album. So I apologize for my ignorance of the bands full history.
Yep, the band's fifth studio album, their last one before David Longdon and Nick D'Virgilio joined the band with The Underfall Yard, featured several guest performers including bass by Dave Meros and Pete Trewavas.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/the-difference-machine/
I would suggest you at least go back and check out the two albums featuring Sean Filkins as their lead vocalist - Gathering Speed and the aforementioned The Difference Machine. They're pretty good, kind of transitional between their earlier albums but feature some of their best material in the Pre-Longdon era. And if you liked "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea" from Far Skies Deep Time, those two songs were from the TDM sessions but were left off the final album. If you get TDM, make sure you get the 2010 release that features 8 tracks.
-Marc.
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Still fighting the flu so haven't spent as much time listening as I'd like. I watched King's Place again. Just veg out on the couch and watch.
I did check out Difference on Bandcamp. I will be picking that up. Dave Meros is one of my all-time faves and he just went bonkers on Perfect Cosmic Storm. Having the rhythm section of the Beard on that track just took it to another level. Looking forward to having that in my hands as Laser CD has in stock.
The first time I heard of BBT was when The Difference Machine came out and it was promoted as including NDV, Dave Meros, and Pete Trewavas. I didn't pick it up at the time, but it put them on my radar and a few years later after The Underfall Yard came out they put a bunch of their music on their website for free download, including The Underfall Yard (title track) and several tracks from The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed. That was the carrot I needed to really start digging in.
Wait, what? Dave Meros was in BBT? Pete Trewavas too? Sorry, I only have The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, EE Full Power, Folklore and Grimspound (also picked up A Stone's Throw). At some of yours suggestion, I started with TUY, and have gone chronologically forward from there, taking my time and really digging into each album. So I apologize for my ignorance of the bands full history.
Yep, the band's fifth studio album, their last one before David Longdon and Nick D'Virgilio joined the band with The Underfall Yard, featured several guest performers including bass by Dave Meros and Pete Trewavas.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/the-difference-machine/
I would suggest you at least go back and check out the two albums featuring Sean Filkins as their lead vocalist - Gathering Speed and the aforementioned The Difference Machine. They're pretty good, kind of transitional between their earlier albums but feature some of their best material in the Pre-Longdon era. And if you liked "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea" from Far Skies Deep Time, those two songs were from the TDM sessions but were left off the final album. If you get TDM, make sure you get the 2010 release that features 8 tracks.
-Marc.
Thanks buddy for the info. I will definitely pick this up after I finish my forward discovery. I can't believe I slept on this band for so long. I should have gotten into them a good 10 years ago. Some of the best music I've ever heard.
Reading that link you provided for The Difference Machine - I'm taking "From The Wide Open Sea" is a completely different song from "The Wide Open Sea"?
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Still fighting the flu so haven't spent as much time listening as I'd like. I watched King's Place again. Just veg out on the couch and watch.
I did check out Difference on Bandcamp. I will be picking that up. Dave Meros is one of my all-time faves and he just went bonkers on Perfect Cosmic Storm. Having the rhythm section of the Beard on that track just took it to another level. Looking forward to having that in my hands as Laser CD has in stock.
The first time I heard of BBT was when The Difference Machine came out and it was promoted as including NDV, Dave Meros, and Pete Trewavas. I didn't pick it up at the time, but it put them on my radar and a few years later after The Underfall Yard came out they put a bunch of their music on their website for free download, including The Underfall Yard (title track) and several tracks from The Difference Machine and Gathering Speed. That was the carrot I needed to really start digging in.
Wait, what? Dave Meros was in BBT? Pete Trewavas too? Sorry, I only have The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, EE Full Power, Folklore and Grimspound (also picked up A Stone's Throw). At some of yours suggestion, I started with TUY, and have gone chronologically forward from there, taking my time and really digging into each album. So I apologize for my ignorance of the bands full history.
Yep, the band's fifth studio album, their last one before David Longdon and Nick D'Virgilio joined the band with The Underfall Yard, featured several guest performers including bass by Dave Meros and Pete Trewavas.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/the-difference-machine/
I would suggest you at least go back and check out the two albums featuring Sean Filkins as their lead vocalist - Gathering Speed and the aforementioned The Difference Machine. They're pretty good, kind of transitional between their earlier albums but feature some of their best material in the Pre-Longdon era. And if you liked "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea" from Far Skies Deep Time, those two songs were from the TDM sessions but were left off the final album. If you get TDM, make sure you get the 2010 release that features 8 tracks.
-Marc.
Thanks buddy for the info. I will definitely pick this up after I finish my forward discovery. I can't believe I slept on this band for so long. I should have gotten into them a good 10 years ago. Some of the best music I've ever heard.
Reading that link you provided for The Difference Machine - I'm taking "From The Wide Open Sea" is a completely different song from "The Wide Open Sea"?
As the title suggests, "From The Wide Open Sea" features some of the atmospheric elements of the opening of the song "The Wide Open Sea", and is placed on the album as a breather track after the 13:40 long "Pick Up If You're There". On the original release of the album, it also preceded "Saltwater Falling On Uneven Ground", another long song at 12:38.
-Marc.
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Ugh, YouTube and it's recommendations. :facepalm:
I have the YouTube channel on my Roku which I use mainly for checking out music stuff and trailers for TV/movie's. That's about it. I use an email account that I don't use at all (except for this) to login so it curates things for me based on the things I watch and it generally works pretty well.
Well, I finally do a search on Big Big Train. I watch a few videos there that I had never seen before like Folklore from Loreley.
After I was done, my whole YouTube main page was loaded with 'train porn'. Video after video after video of big, big trains. I mean, they were all over the place. I had to go into the Google account page for that login and nuke the search for the term Big Big Train and then the 'train porn' disappeared.
Thought that was pretty funny. Anyway, ordered Difference over the weekend. One of the few affordable CD's from them. Should be the 2017 re-issue based on the info.
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Ugh, YouTube and it's recommendations. :facepalm:
I have the YouTube channel on my Roku which I use mainly for checking out music stuff and trailers for TV/movie's. That's about it. I use an email account that I don't use at all (except for this) to login so it curates things for me based on the things I watch and it generally works pretty well.
Well, I finally do a search on Big Big Train. I watch a few videos there that I had never seen before like Folklore from Loreley.
After I was done, my whole YouTube main page was loaded with 'train porn'. Video after video after video of big, big trains. I mean, they were all over the place. I had to go into the Google account page for that login and nuke the search for the term Big Big Train and then the 'train porn' disappeared.
Thought that was pretty funny. Anyway, ordered Difference over the weekend. One of the few affordable CD's from them. Should be the 2017 re-issue based on the info.
Oh my! Safe search is your friend.
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Ugh, YouTube and it's recommendations. :facepalm:
I have the YouTube channel on my Roku which I use mainly for checking out music stuff and trailers for TV/movie's. That's about it. I use an email account that I don't use at all (except for this) to login so it curates things for me based on the things I watch and it generally works pretty well.
Well, I finally do a search on Big Big Train. I watch a few videos there that I had never seen before like Folklore from Loreley.
After I was done, my whole YouTube main page was loaded with 'train porn'. Video after video after video of big, big trains. I mean, they were all over the place. I had to go into the Google account page for that login and nuke the search for the term Big Big Train and then the 'train porn' disappeared.
Thought that was pretty funny. Anyway, ordered Difference over the weekend. One of the few affordable CD's from them. Should be the 2017 re-issue based on the info.
Oh my! Safe search is your friend.
I don't think they meant actual porn - just videos showing off trains, and lots of them, of all shapes and sizes, makes and models, going slow and going fast, between large mountains and into deep, dark tunnels.
I would suggest, for future searches, use quotations to minimize the risk of key word results. Look up "Big Big Train" instead of just Big, Big, and Train.
-Marc.
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Try searching Big Big Train then a song title - or BBT and then a song title. I always put a song title in there as well and never had an issue.
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Ugh, YouTube and it's recommendations. :facepalm:
I have the YouTube channel on my Roku which I use mainly for checking out music stuff and trailers for TV/movie's. That's about it. I use an email account that I don't use at all (except for this) to login so it curates things for me based on the things I watch and it generally works pretty well.
Well, I finally do a search on Big Big Train. I watch a few videos there that I had never seen before like Folklore from Loreley.
After I was done, my whole YouTube main page was loaded with 'train porn'. Video after video after video of big, big trains. I mean, they were all over the place. I had to go into the Google account page for that login and nuke the search for the term Big Big Train and then the 'train porn' disappeared.
Thought that was pretty funny. Anyway, ordered Difference over the weekend. One of the few affordable CD's from them. Should be the 2017 re-issue based on the info.
Oh my! Safe search is your friend.
I don't think they meant actual porn - just videos showing off trains, and lots of them, of all shapes and sizes, makes and models, going slow and going fast, between large mountains and into deep, dark tunnels.
I would suggest, for future searches, use quotations to minimize the risk of key word results. Look up "Big Big Train" instead of just Big, Big, and Train.
-Marc.
Ohhh. There is a lot of enthusiasm for trains out there.
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I can attest to the weirdos that shoot train porn. I live by lots of tracks. I can't tell you how many times I see these dudes out there with one or more tripods and cameras just shooting these boring freight trains as they go by. I mean, there was an intersection that I used to cross frequently that had two train lines that crossed each other. I'd see a guy out there and then 4,5,6 hours later drive by again and the same dude is out there just waiting for the trains.
It's a weird obsession. I prefer the Big Big Train obsession I have right now over that other one.
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I just watched Folklore from Loreley on YouTube after reading ProfessorPeart's report. Wow, what a performance! Somehow I haven't seen that one before.
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Last year, I put together a YouTube playlist of all the officially released BBT Live Videos from their YouTube channel, if you didn't want to hunt for them. They're in chronological order as well.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcFTq4c-UfVyLHo0NA9iXuY1Pcgy_hJVH
I even made one for their in-studio recordings and music videos! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcFTq4c-UfVy5rQFM5tVzZy6Fd2Re2rVd
-Marc.
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Last year, I put together a YouTube playlist of all the officially released BBT Live Videos from their YouTube channel, if you didn't want to hunt for them. They're in chronological order as well.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcFTq4c-UfVyLHo0NA9iXuY1Pcgy_hJVH
I even made one for their in-studio recordings and music videos! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcFTq4c-UfVy5rQFM5tVzZy6Fd2Re2rVd
-Marc.
Awesome! Thanks man.
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Is the full Night of the Prog show from Loreley available somewhere? I've found several bootlegs, but looking for the professionally shot show like the Folklore video. Thanks
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Is the full Night of the Prog show from Loreley available somewhere? I've found several bootlegs, but looking for the professionally shot show like the Folklore video. Thanks
Not an officially release (yet). The band have indicated they intend to release it at some point, and I think Greg recently suggested maybe this year.
Another way to support the band and get more content is The Passengers Club. It’s a subscription that gets you access to a bunch of demos, additional unreleased videos, blog posts, etc. They add new content every two weeks, and there must be over 20 demos and other unreleased tracks that can be accessed/downloaded so far, with more being added from time to time. The quality varies depending on what era the demos come from, but for instance there is a nice demo of Capitoline Venus (with Greg on vocals) that was available well before the band ever recorded it for Welcome to the Planet. Original demos of songs like Kingmaker, Curator of Butterflies as well, and a series of interesting demos from an abandoned concept album project. It’s 30 pounds a year which is about $40 right now (or 2 years for 50), and it helps keep the band afloat so I’d say it’s been worth it for me.
https://thepassengersclub.com/unauthorised/?mepr-unauth-page=3572&redirect_to=%2Fconcourse%2F
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Is the full Night of the Prog show from Loreley available somewhere? I've found several bootlegs, but looking for the professionally shot show like the Folklore video. Thanks
Not an officially release (yet). The band have indicated they intend to release it at some point, and I think Greg recently suggested maybe this year.
Another way to support the band and get more content is The Passengers Club. It’s a subscription that gets you access to a bunch of demos, additional unreleased videos, blog posts, etc. They add new content every two weeks, and there must be over 20 demos and other unreleased tracks that can be accessed/downloaded so far, with more being added from time to time. The quality varies depending on what era the demos come from, but for instance there is a nice demo of Capitoline Venus (with Greg on vocals) that was available well before the band ever recorded it for Welcome to the Planet. Original demos of songs like Kingmaker, Curator of Butterflies as well, and a series of interesting demos from an abandoned concept album project. It’s 30 pounds a year which is about $40 right now (or 2 years for 50), and it helps keep the band afloat so I’d say it’s been worth it for me.
https://thepassengersclub.com/unauthorised/?mepr-unauth-page=3572&redirect_to=%2Fconcourse%2F
Awesome. Thanks for the info. I’ll probably join to help support the band
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Random thought of the day, I was out most of the day so I took the opportunity to listen to EE:FP since it had been a few weeks. I absolutely prefer the live version of any song performed off of EE to the studio versions. Maybe it's the rawness and not over-produced feeling of them. They just hit harder in a live setting. Too many vocal effects and such in the studio versions. East Coast Racer was too slow. It feels faster live. Actually, I think Summoned By Bells is the only studio version that I had no issue with.
Now, oddly, I do not feel that way at all about Folklore and Grimspound. I adore the studio versions and also like the live ones.
I hadn't heard the studio version of Uncle Jack in a while and I thought it paled to the Stone & Steel version. I love that one.
I also noticed a lot of callbacks throughout the album that I missed before like East Coast Racer in Edgelands, or vice versa I guess. Oh, Edgelands is from the EP so I was right the first time.
Still haven't listened to Grand Tour or the new album yet. Still basking in the glow of the other material knowing that I still have more to discover.
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Random thought of the day, I was out most of the day so I took the opportunity to listen to EE:FP since it had been a few weeks. I absolutely prefer the live version of any song performed off of EE to the studio versions. Maybe it's the rawness and not over-produced feeling of them. They just hit harder in a live setting. Too many vocal effects and such in the studio versions. East Coast Racer was too slow. It feels faster live. Actually, I think Summoned By Bells is the only studio version that I had no issue with.
Now, oddly, I do not feel that way at all about Folklore and Grimspound. I adore the studio versions and also like the live ones.
I hadn't heard the studio version of Uncle Jack in a while and I thought it paled to the Stone & Steel version. I love that one.
I also noticed a lot of callbacks throughout the album that I missed before like East Coast Racer in Edgelands, or vice versa I guess. Oh, Edgelands is from the EP so I was right the first time.
Still haven't listened to Grand Tour or the new album yet. Still basking in the glow of the other material knowing that I still have more to discover.
Interesting. I almost never prefer a live version to a studio version of anything, and BBT is no exception. While I love watching their live performances, I rarely listen to the audio of those on their own.
David Longdon used to do some really cool things (I thought) layering his vocals in the studio, and adding interesting sounds. Little ha’s and shhs, and sucking noises and other sound effects you don’t really register as a vocal effect. He did so much with his voice beyond just being an awesome singer!
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Random thought of the day, I was out most of the day so I took the opportunity to listen to EE:FP since it had been a few weeks. I absolutely prefer the live version of any song performed off of EE to the studio versions. Maybe it's the rawness and not over-produced feeling of them. They just hit harder in a live setting. Too many vocal effects and such in the studio versions. East Coast Racer was too slow. It feels faster live. Actually, I think Summoned By Bells is the only studio version that I had no issue with.
Now, oddly, I do not feel that way at all about Folklore and Grimspound. I adore the studio versions and also like the live ones.
I hadn't heard the studio version of Uncle Jack in a while and I thought it paled to the Stone & Steel version. I love that one.
I also noticed a lot of callbacks throughout the album that I missed before like East Coast Racer in Edgelands, or vice versa I guess. Oh, Edgelands is from the EP so I was right the first time.
Still haven't listened to Grand Tour or the new album yet. Still basking in the glow of the other material knowing that I still have more to discover.
Interesting. I almost never prefer a live version to a studio version of anything, and BBT is no exception. While I love watching their live performances, I rarely listen to the audio of those on their own.
David Longdon used to do some really cool things (I thought) layering his vocals in the studio, and adding interesting sounds. Little ha’s and shhs, and sucking noises and other sound effects you don’t really register as a vocal effect. He did so much with his voice beyond just being an awesome singer!
I actually love both. Was listening to both EE Full Power and A Stone's Throw this week. While I do love the live energy on A Stone's Throw, EE Full Power is about as close to perfection for me as you can get. Literally every song on there is awesome!
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I think because I discovered the band in late 2012 before they even started playing live (in the Longdon era), the studio versions have always been my go-to for every song, though I will agree that some of the songs they've made are just better in their live format, particularly "A Mead Hall In Winter", which includes the brass ensemble (since Grimspound didn't have any brass on it at all).
But if I'm in the mood for BBT, I typically go for the studio albums, though when I'm really into it, I'll put on their live (and live-in-the-studio) performances as well to vary things up a bit.
As for EEFP having callbacks and repeated themes across the album, hearing the Full Power version after the first two individual albums came out was like a revelation for me. When all of the songs finally came together and were sorted into Full Power, everything just sort of clicked for me and things started to fall into place. It's a truly brilliant album and the sequencing of the songs from EEP1, EEP2, and MSN feels masterful and well thought out. I know some fans prefer the individual albums more, but it just feels more cohesive as a whole with EEFP, and this is coming from a fan who heard the individual albums first (and EEP2 was their first new release after I got into them). I'm also a sucker for double albums, especially ones that feel conceptual, and while EEFP isn't a narrative concept album, it's definitely thematic, and of course, musically conceptual with its shared motifs and themes across several pieces.
I am kind of wondering if the band would ever consider doing an album compilation of Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet since there are some obvious thematic connections, both lyrically and musically. It probably won't happen, but it's a fun thought!
-Marc.
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The studio versions is always my go-to for every song as well (and band), with the exception of Kingmaker. I prefer the version on Summer's Lease that was recorded live at Real World Studios.
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As for EEFP having callbacks and repeated themes across the album, hearing the Full Power version after the first two individual albums came out was like a revelation for me. When all of the songs finally came together and were sorted into Full Power, everything just sort of clicked for me and things started to fall into place. It's a truly brilliant album and the sequencing of the songs from EEP1, EEP2, and MSN feels masterful and well thought out. I know some fans prefer the individual albums more, but it just feels more cohesive as a whole with EEFP, and this is coming from a fan who heard the individual albums first (and EEP2 was their first new release after I got into them). I'm also a sucker for double albums, especially ones that feel conceptual, and while EEFP isn't a narrative concept album, it's definitely thematic, and of course, musically conceptual with its shared motifs and themes across several pieces.
Yes, lots of callbacks and themes. As I mentioned in another post, I didn't realize they changed the running order when they made EE Full Power. I assumed the first part was EEP1 and the second half EEP2. I think they did a pretty amazing job of reworking the running order, where it does indeed play like a double concept album.
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My buddy Theo is getting married this year and his and his fiancee's *song* is Telling The Bees. Theo is a pretty good drummer and I am a guitarist, so we decided to recruit a band out of our circle of friends and acquaintances to perform a short but sweet set of songs that connect the two. Other songs include Tears For Fears' Woman In Chains (ironically the first song that is being played on this wedding :lol), Laura Non C'e by Nek (was a huge hit here in Europe back when it came out and Theo's fiancee's name is Laura), Hotel California and, hold on tight, Fall From Paradise by Little River Band (yes, we recruited three singers).
I completely wrote down what every musician is playing on the original recording of Telling The Bees, apart from the keyboard part, which I had to narrow down from two keyboard players to one. Next to Fall From Paradise, Telling The Bees is by far the most complicated song out of the above mentioned. And it was "only" the ballad and probably by far the least complex one from Folklore. What a band Big Big Train is!
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Awesome Fritz! If you get any video would be fun to see. Telling The Bees has always been one of my favorites from Folklore.
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That's great Fritz! Like HOF, would love to see a video of it. Telling the Bee's is such a great song and yes, BBT are an absolutely incredible band. Amazing songwriting and musicianship!
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I'm a newcomer to BBT, having only heard The Underfall Yard before late last year. I know I have a lot to explore, including some of the most acclaimed albums, and I will do so in due time. But I just wanted to say that with both Common Ground and now Welcome to the Planet, I've had the really awesome experience of having an album start out as something with a bit of promise, then unfold itself for me, bit by bit, with each subsequent listen, to the point where I think of it as a superb achievement. If I can look forward to anything like that experience with their releases of the 2010s, and I understand that those are held in higher acclaim than the newest two, that will be something to experience. (And I need to go back to The Underfall Yard and spend more time with it.)
Still a little early to choose a favorite from Welcome to the Planet, but my favorite from Common Ground is All the Love We Can Give, which I did not give much notice at first.
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I'm a newcomer to BBT, having only heard The Underfall Yard before late last year. I know I have a lot to explore, including some of the most acclaimed albums, and I will do so in due time. But I just wanted to say that with both Common Ground and now Welcome to the Planet, I've had the really awesome experience of having an album start out as something with a bit of promise, then unfold itself for me, bit by bit, with each subsequent listen, to the point where I think of it as a superb achievement. If I can look forward to anything like that experience with their releases of the 2010s, and I understand that those are held in higher acclaim than the newest two, that will be something to experience. (And I need to go back to The Underfall Yard and spend more time with it.)
Still a little early to choose a favorite from Welcome to the Planet, but my favorite from Common Ground is All the Love We Can Give, which I did not give much notice at first.
That’s great! I also didn’t get All The Love We Can Give at first, but now I think it’s really great. I was trying to decide the other night what my top 5 BBT albums were, and both Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet got strong consideration from me, which is saying something given they have 13 studio albums now (depending on how you count them). Those two are each a good bit different from what came before, but still maintaining as high a quality as what came before.
The run of The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, and English Electric is still hard to top for me, but every album (including the ones before David Longdon) has aspects I really enjoy.
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Got my first listen to The Grand Tour. Kinda lukewarm on it right now, though it is just one listen. Voyager really stood out. NDV went a bit nuts on that thing.
Obviously need a few more listens to form a total opinion, but Voyager is a total winner right away.
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Was randomly thinking about this video from a couple years back, because I remembered it had a snippet of new music Greg was writing and I was wondering what became of it. Turns out it was a snippet from what became Oak and Stone:
https://vimeo.com/415194237?fbclid=IwAR0Oqg4hTTilkE6G15Wx5FgPPhKEHoSuiG4WNa3gOJT8KI55SEDe3QDGqtM
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There was a memorial event/concert for David Longdon last week with band member past and present and others in the industry as well paying tribute. I hope some of this was filmed/recorded and they make some of this available at some point.
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158858579628668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile
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There was a memorial event/concert for David Longdon last week with band member past and present and others in the industry as well paying tribute. I hope some of this was filmed/recorded and they make some of this available at some point.
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158858579628668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile
Saw that earlier this morning. Very touching photos, so many notable musicians and guests! If I had to guess, they may release some clips on YouTube, or at very least, through the Passengers Club. If they make any or all of it available for purchase, maybe the funds could go to a notable charity? Who knows, either way, it looks like it was a wonderful event, and I'm surprised no one leaked a word of it until today! Very good secret-keepers there!
-Marc.
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There was a memorial event/concert for David Longdon last week with band member past and present and others in the industry as well paying tribute. I hope some of this was filmed/recorded and they make some of this available at some point.
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158858579628668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile
Saw that earlier this morning. Very touching photos, so many notable musicians and guests! If I had to guess, they may release some clips on YouTube, or at very least, through the Passengers Club. If they make any or all of it available for purchase, maybe the funds could go to a notable charity? Who knows, either way, it looks like it was a wonderful event, and I'm surprised no one leaked a word of it until today! Very good secret-keepers there!
-Marc.
I figured something was up when they had a fan get together last week in the UK with Nick and Rikard in attendance. But didn’t realize anything this big was going down. Was kind of thinking/hoping they were gathering to make plans for new music, but maybe not if this was the main occasion.
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From Greg Spawton today:
We are pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of the authorised biography of Big Big Train.
Big Big Train – Between The Lines documents the entire career of Big Big Train to date. From the band’s humble beginnings in Bournemouth on the UK’s south coast and its slow progress through the 1990s, Classic Rock and Prog magazine writer Grant Moon then covers Big Big Train’s endurance through the 2000s before charting the arrival into the band of drummer Nick D’Virgilio in 2007 and their breakthrough with 2009 album The Underfall Yard, their first with vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Longdon.
The book goes on to explore the band’s steady rise to greater commercial and critical success during the 2010s, including their return to live performance in 2015 and triumphant headline show at the Night Of The Prog festival at Loreley, Germany in July 2018.
Big Big Train – Between The Lines concludes by bringing the band’s story fully up to date, detailing last year’s Common Ground and this year’s Welcome To The Planet albums and how the band have persisted despite numerous challenges including the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The book was written primarily in 2020 and 2021 and completed early in 2022 to take account of David Longdon’s tragic death in November last year. Moon interviewed over 30 musicians and other individuals connected with Big Big Train and their story. These included Tony Banks of Genesis, who provides significant insight into David Longdon’s audition to replace Phil Collins in Genesis.
Big Big Train – Between The Lines will be published as a ca. 270-page, coffee table-style hardback book, with over 180 photographs and illustrations documenting the band’s career and the early lives of band members, many of which have never been previously published.
The book is available for pre-order now from Burning Shed via https://burningshed.com/store/kingmaker. All pre-orders will be signed by me and by the author Grant Moon. It is a limited edition and if we can get organised enough, we'll aim to hand number each signed copy.
Definitely a bit pricey but I'm totally ordering it.
-Marc.
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Yeah I saw that news posted on the BBT Facebook page. I didn't know there was a book in the works.
Definitely a bit pricey, but it looks like I'll order it any way.
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Yeah I saw that news posted on the BBT Facebook page. I didn't know there was a book in the works.
Definitely a bit pricey, but it looks like I'll order it any way.
I bit the bullet and ordered it, even though after shipping and all that from Burning Shed, it came out to a little over $99. Thankfully Burning Shed uses PayPal and I was able to use PayPal's Pay-In-4 payment plan, so it'll be paid off in a couple of months. I have severe FOMO with BBT, and I'm glad I've ordered pretty much everything they've released so far since 2012 because some of their items are SUPER rare/hard to come by, and thus fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market, like the Stone & Steel blu-ray, or the original English Electric: Full Power hardcover mediabook with 96 pages of lyrics, art and liner notes inside. At least I'm not a vinyl collector, otherwise I'd be SUPER poor importing all of their vinyl as they came out over the years. I barely have enough room for my CDs/DVDs/BDs as it is, vinyl would just take up more space! :lol
I guess I'll have some summer reading sorted out when it arrives in late June!
-Marc.
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Think I’ll wait a bit and see how money is in May, or if there are more concrete plans to give it US distribution. Would be nice to have an autographed copy, but buying from the UK really adds on to the price, and if a US distributor releases it around the same time I might be able to get it sooner from them than waiting for it to arrive from overseas. Will have to monitor the situation.
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Think I’ll wait a bit and see how money is in May, or if there are more concrete plans to give it US distribution. Would be nice to have an autographed copy, but buying from the UK really adds on to the price, and if a US distributor releases it around the same time I might be able to get it sooner from them than waiting for it to arrive from overseas. Will have to monitor the situation.
I believe Greg has said that the publisher distributes through RSK so there might not be any US stores selling it, except maybe some through Amazon eventually, but that wasn't made very clear. And because the book is a limited edition, I worry that Burning Shed will sell out before the end of April, given how supportive a lot of Passengers are of the band.
If you want it, it might be best to text and figure out a way to get it now rather than risk paying two or three times it's current price on the secondary market.
-Marc.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CcNwh4BMsJb/
"Recording demos and mixing a live recording from our show at Loreley today."
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CcNwh4BMsJb/
"Recording demos and mixing a live recording from our show at Loreley today."
Exciting news! Hope the Loreley CD/BD set comes out before year's end! And DEMOS?! I'm anxious to hear what that's all about, but I'm sure we won't hear anything about that for awhile, at least not til next year, but I'd love to be wrong and hear some band news sooner!
-Marc.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CcNwh4BMsJb/
"Recording demos and mixing a live recording from our show at Loreley today."
Awesome! Best news I've heard in awhile.
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Yeah, that’s an exciting update. Interesting to find out if these are new demos, old material, or what. I wonder if they might to try to finish off some of the solo songs that David had written (he was just about to go into the studio to record a solo album when he passed).
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Yeah, that’s an exciting update. Interesting to find out if these are new demos, old material, or what. I wonder if they might to try to finish off some of the solo songs that David had written (he was just about to go into the studio to record a solo album when he passed).
Reading it again, they are probably making new demos, not recording songs that were previously demoed.
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Glad that Greg is finally getting on with Loreley. I figure he probably just didn't have time with how prolific they were during David's time. Now that they have properly grieved him and are starting to move on, he probably figured this would be a great way to honor David. I'm assuming they still don't have a lead vocalist so this gives him a chance to get this together and hopefully out. Who knows, maybe it will be packaged with some clips or something from the memorial event as a big tribute to David.
I still haven't moved on from BBT. I have a stack of music piling up of stuff I am ignoring because I can't move on still.
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I was at that Loreley show and it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and heard. I was standing in the middle of the first row, rocking out for 2,5 hours straight with my buddy Julius. This is the first time a concert will be released for purchase where I was present. I'm very excited for this release! I seriously hope it will get a physical release, and is not just available for download or so.
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I was at that Loreley show and it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and heard. I was standing in the middle of the first row, rocking out for 2,5 hours straight with my buddy Julius. This is the first time a concert will be released for purchase where I was present. I'm very excited for this release! I seriously hope it will get a physical release, and is not just available for download or so.
Amazing! Sounds like you had a blast! And do not worry, Greg more or less confirmed it will get a BD release, so I think we can expect a package similar to EMPIRE.
-Marc.
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I was checking out the Loreley setlist just now, and it looks like it was a great one.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html)
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I was checking out the Loreley setlist just now, and it looks like it was a great one.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html)
It's a great show, and I've seen an audience filmed recording of it on YouTube, but of course the official video will look and sound a LOT better.
There's a bit of overlap from the other 3 previously released live albums, but I believe this will be the first live versions of "The Permanent Way" and "Summer's Lease".
-Marc.
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I was checking out the Loreley setlist just now, and it looks like it was a great one.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html)
That's an awesome setlist - can't wait to see this!
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I was at that Loreley show and it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and heard. I was standing in the middle of the first row, rocking out for 2,5 hours straight with my buddy Julius. This is the first time a concert will be released for purchase where I was present. I'm very excited for this release! I seriously hope it will get a physical release, and is not just available for download or so.
That's great! I bet we'll see you many times during the show.
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I still haven't moved on from BBT. I have a stack of music piling up of stuff I am ignoring because I can't move on still.
I'm the same. All I can listen to is BBT. Such amazing music!
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When I was first getting into Big Big Train (only last year), it was the various YouTube videos from Loreley that convinced me that this was a band I needed more of. Empire confirmed that I made the right decision. Loreley has a lot of the same songs, but I'll probably grab it, too.
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Tried to find one meh song the other day... I failed completely :biggrin:.
There is some kind of brilliance or cleverness (or both) in every song I heard from them... and I heard A LOT! :hefdaddy
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Tried to find one meh song the other day... I failed completely :biggrin:.
There is some kind of brilliance or cleverness (or both) in every song I heard from them... and I heard A LOT! :hefdaddy
Agreed. It's the songwriting. They're great musician's, but it's the songs that make them so amazing. Big props to Greg Spawton. He's become one of my favorite song writers of all time!
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This fall marks a decade since I discovered the band, and whether you've been along for the ride since the 90s, since Longdon joined, or only recently, it's very heart-warming to hear how fans, new and old, still love the band and what they've done, and what I hope they'll continue to do.
I can't imagine the last ten years of my life without the music of BBT in it. It's really filled a void in my musical life and it continues to be filled with every new release, every new song, every new line-up change. I am eager to see where the band goes next.
-Marc.
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Really awesome to see you guys getting into BBT. They just do everything at such a high quality (writing, playing, recording, mixing, etc.). It’s one of the things that first hit me about English Electric when I heard it. Everything just sounded so pleasant for lack of a better word. There were no sounds I didn’t want to hear! But it’s not just ear candy. There’s so much depth to the writing and story telling too. Definitely think Greg Spawton is one of the unheralded songwriters and all around musicians of the modern prog era. He’s up there with the Morse, Wilson, Stolt, etc. in terms of being prolific and just being an all around torch carrier for the prog genre.
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Definitely think Greg Spawton is one of the unheralded songwriters and all around musicians of the modern prog era. He’s up there with the Morse, Wilson, Stolt, etc. in terms of being prolific and just being an all around torch carrier for the prog genre.
Agreed 100%. And that's why I feel wherever they go from here, with him driving the train, it will continue to be great quality music. It doesn't hurt having incredible musicians like NDV and Rikard in the band. Of course there is no replacing Longon, but with Spawton's creativity, I still have high hopes for their future.
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Listening to Grimspound (the song) right now. It's such a gorgeous and maybe a bit underrated BBT track. Absolutely love the instrumentation on the instrumental section. There's a subtle little bass thing Greg does at the start of it where he just drops in a quick "buh-duh buh-duh" (around 2:30 and then it repeats again a little bit later around 3:24) that gets me every time. And then the outro is also really great with the guitar solo that fades into the acapella voices. This one is credited as Spawton - music and Longdon - lyrics and really shows off the strength of their collaboration.
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https://fb.watch/cy5JVZjVRg/
"NEWS COMING SOON." Along with a short clip of what sounds like new music!!!
-Marc.
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https://fb.watch/cy5JVZjVRg/
"NEWS COMING SOON." Along with a short clip of what sounds like new music!!!
-Marc.
Great! :tup
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https://fb.watch/cy5JVZjVRg/
"NEWS COMING SOON." Along with a short clip of what sounds like new music!!!
-Marc.
Outstanding! Can’t wait.
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Awesome awesome news!!
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A Big Big Train-adjacent release that folks here might want to check out is the debut album by Kite Parade, essentially a solo album by a guy named Andy Foster that was recorded/mixed/mastered by Rob Aubrey and features Nick D'Virgilio playing drums on 5 of 7 tracks. Foster sings and plays most of the other instruments, including some nice Saxophone. It's more of a progressive pop affair (think a proggier Tears for Fears), but there are a couple heavier tracks as well, and one 14 minute track. You know it sounds excellent if Rob Aubrey is behind it. I'd say it should certainly interest fans of the poppier side of BBT (think songs like Alive, Telling the Bees, etc.). It's one of my favorite albums to be released this year. Unfortunately you can't stream the whole thing anywhere, and you can only get the CD from the label's website (I got mine from Laser CD but they must have sold out fast), but check out the two preview tracks at least and it will give you an idea.
https://kiteparade.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-home
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Looks like the band will make an announcement tomorrow morning at 10:00 UK time…
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/
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Looks like the band will make an announcement tomorrow morning at 10:00 UK time…
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/
Just saw this! It'll be 5am EST, so I'll be sound asleep.
Given the recent tease of new music and the IG Post of them working on new demos, I'd say we have a new album or EP coming along. I wonder if they'll announce a new front man or if this release will just feature the current vocal talents within the band?
-Marc.
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Exciting news from The Train. I am happy they continue their journey and am excited about what Alberto Bravin will collaborate to the band's music. But knowing that David is irreplaceable, I remain cautious.
BIG BIG TRAIN WELCOME NEW VOCALIST ALBERTO BRAVIN
SEPTEMBER 2022 SHOWS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE
CONTINENTAL EUROPEAN DATES
Big Big Train have today announced that they have recruited Alberto Bravin as their new lead vocalist following the tragic death of David Longdon in November last year.
Based in Trieste in Italy, Bravin’s career includes performing with progressive rock legends PFM, singing lead and backing vocals and playing keyboards.
On joining the band Alberto says: “I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to join Big Big Train. I was already a huge BBT fan and am looking forward to playing my part in taking this great band forward while also honouring the memory of David Longdon.”
Big Big Train founder and bassist Gregory Spawton comments: “Nick D’Virgilio and I had both seen Alberto perform with PFM and were very impressed with his abilities as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. We know that David is irreplaceable; we miss him deeply both musically and personally. We wanted someone who could do justice with their own musical skills and personality to the songs that David sang for Big Big Train as well as being able to help to drive the band forwards”.
Big Big Train are also pleased to confirm that their two previously announced UK shows in September 2022 will take place as well as six further shows in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France. Keyboardist/vocalist Carly Bryant is unable to join the band for these dates for family reasons but will return as soon as circumstances allow.
Alongside Bravin, D’Virgilio, Spawton and longstanding guitarist Rikard Sjöblom, the Big Big Train line-up for the September 2022 shows will consist of guitarist Dave Foster, violinist/vocalist Clare Lindley, keyboardist Oskar Holldorff and the Big Big Train brass section led by Dave Desmond. Holldorff leads Norwegian band Dim Gray, whose debut album Flown was released to much acclaim last year.
Big Big Train is now truly an international band for the September dates with an American, a Swede, an Italian and a Norwegian on stage alongside the Brits. These shows will see Big Big Train playing material from various stages of their career and also one new song.
BIG BIG TRAIN SEPTEMBER 2022
Friday 2 September – Friars Waterside, Aylesbury, UK
Saturday 3 September – HRH Prog festival, Leeds, UK
Monday 5 September – Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Tuesday 6 September – Harmonie, Bonn, Germany
Wednesday 7 September – Kuz, Mainz, Germany
Thursday 8 September – Frannz Club, Berlin, Germany
Saturday 10 September – Z7, Pratteln (Basel), Switzerland
Sunday 11 September – Café de la Danse, Paris, France
Tickets for the UK shows are on sale now. Tickets for the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France shows go on sale at 10am UK time on Friday 29 April.
See www.bigbigtrain.com/live for ticket links.
(https://scontent.fvie4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/279063533_5120858381313124_1098791861234589894_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=PGJ84aJdZv4AX8WMw3m&_nc_ht=scontent.fvie4-1.fna&oh=00_AT8hvAjZrriNTVee1GNwMurZwymREAjNioxc2mSBYx9Vrw&oe=626E0DDD)
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Some more info from BBT about this:
Big Big Train have recruited Alberto Bravin as lead vocalist following the tragic death of David Longdon in November 2021.
Based in Trieste, Italy, Alberto performed around 200 shows with progressive rock legends PFM between 2015 and January 2022, both in Italy and internationally, singing lead and backing vocals and playing keyboards.
Alberto Bravin says: “I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to join Big Big Train. I was already a huge BBT fan and am looking forward to playing my part in taking this great band forward while also honouring the memory of David Longdon.”
Big Big Train bassist and founder Gregory Spawton comments: “In recent years, Nick D’Virgilio and I had both seen Alberto perform with PFM. We were very impressed with his abilities as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and therefore approached him about joining BBT earlier this year.
“We know that David is irreplaceable and we miss him deeply both musically and personally,” Spawton continues. “We were very clear that we didn’t want to bring someone into the band who would sound very similar to David; that just felt fundamentally wrong. Instead we wanted someone who could do justice with their own musical skills and personality to the songs that David sang for Big Big Train as well as being able to help to drive the band forwards. From his first audition singing some BBT back catalogue songs and subsequently his work on some new material that we’re working on, we’re confident that we’ve found the right person in Alberto.”
“Aside from Alberto’s great voice and all round musical skills, it was also vital for us to find the right personal fit, particularly after being struck with David’s sudden death,” drummer Nick D’Virgilio comments. “We flew Alberto to London several weeks ago so we could hang together for a few days and the chemistry immediately felt right.”
SEPTEMBER TOUR
Big Big Train are also pleased to confirm that their two previously announced UK shows in September 2022 will be taking place. In addition the band have scheduled six further shows for September in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France.
Keyboardist/vocalist Carly Bryant is unable to tour with the band in September 2022 for family reasons. “After over two years of being part of Big Big Train and involved in two studio albums, I was extremely keen to go on the road with the band. However a recent change in my family situation means that sadly I cannot be away from home in the autumn,” Bryant explains. “I love being part of BBT and will be on stage with the band at the earliest opportunity when my family commitments permit.”
Alongside Bravin, D’Virgilio, Spawton and longstanding guitarist Rikard Sjöblom, the Big Big Train line-up for the September 2022 shows will consist of guitarist Dave Foster, violinist/vocalist Clare Lindley, keyboardist Oskar Holldorff and the Big Big Train brass section led by Dave Desmond. Holldorff leads Norwegian band Dim Gray, whose debut album Flown was much acclaimed last year and who are preparing to release their second album later this year.
“Oskar came to our attention from his work with Dim Gray and is another tremendous talent to involve in Big Big Train,” Sjöblom says. “We’re very grateful to him for stepping in while Carly is unavailable. It’s also exciting that Big Big Train is becoming an increasingly international band – in September we will have an American, a Swede, an Italian and a Norwegian on stage with the Brits.”
During the September tour Big Big Train will be playing material from various stages of their career and also one new song.
“We were originally scheduled to play live shows in spring 2020 but then Covid-19 derailed our live plans repeatedly and since then we’ve prepared numerous different set lists,” Sjöblom continues. “We’ve released two full albums since we last played live and are spoilt for choice with the set list for September.”
“In addition to our UK shows, I’m really looking forward to getting back into continental Europe,” D’Virgilio adds. “As well as visiting the prog strongholds of the Boerderij and Z7, we thought it would be cool to play some smaller venues in France and Germany as we re-establish BBT as a live band. We can’t wait to get out and play again and show what this band can do.”
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So excited that they have found a way forward. Know nothing about Alberto, but will look forward to checking him out. Even though I am a fan of the early PFM stuff, I haven’t checked out any of their recent work. Will have to do that now!
Short film introducing Alberto here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgDiTQOxV4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2xc1WRdC0wsBuf_gmUvAqmxLlYyAoQkcGJbTVMVcqSpXEXDWs4X4_AtPE
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Watched the video. They seem very excited. I need to check out some clips of Alberto and his voice. Guessing that was him in the few clips in the vid and he sounds good. They are kind of the new Transatlantic, a worldwide band now.
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Watched the video. They seem very excited. I need to check out some clips of Alberto and his voice. Guessing that was him in the few clips in the vid and he sounds good. They are kind of the new Transatlantic, a worldwide band now.
Yeah, I wondered what that bit of music was (presumably with him singing) towards the end. Not sure if that was some prior music he’d done, or something new the band has put together. Sounded like it could have been part of that snippet they shared the other day though.
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They will be playing one new song on the tour, so I guess it's that one.
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They will be playing one new song on the tour, so I guess it's that one.
That would make sense to have something new done ahead of the tour.
The other interesting thing is Alberto has more of a prog metal background outside of PFM. Wouldn’t expect BBT to take that turn, but I suppose he might bring a little heavier influence with him.
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They posted another snippet here and confirmed in the comments that it is new BBT material with Alberto.
https://m.facebook.com/#!/story.php?story_fbid=5120840827981546&id=203751903023821&m_entstream_source=feed_mobile&anchor_composer=false
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I'm very happy to see that clip and read the news. Alberto seems (and sounds like from the brief snippet of song) to fit in well and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the band emerges through this period of darkness and into the light. :heart
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Watched the video on YouTube as soon as I woke up and checked all the related Facebook posts from the band and its members. Very exciting news, and now they really are a truly international prog band!
I've never listened to any PFM, let alone Alberto Bravin, but I'm very excited to hear what he will bring to the band! They've posted another clip of what sounds like a new song on Facebook, which sounds like it's the same song as the clip they shared five days ago- https://fb.watch/cF2ozTE2QB/
With new music already under way, I imagine their new album will have an early 2023 release date, probably just a year on from WTTP.
With a new vocalist, I wonder if the band will be digging into some of their pre-Longdon material, specifically from the Sean Filkins albums. Could be interesting hearing some of those songs, especially from The Difference Machine.
-Marc.
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This is very exciting news! I have no idea who Alberto is, but he sounds great in those clips! I will have to do some digging into his background and PFM
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BBT has been the soundtrack to my drive to Morsefest today. English Electric gets better with every listen, and the countryside of western Virginia (Not West Virginia. We don’t talk about them.) fits very well with the mood of the music.
Unfortunately the drivers on Interstate 81 are batshit crazy. As the climax to East Coast Racer came, and David sang “She fliiiiies!”, some smooth brain in a jacked up F-150 rolled coal on me.
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I was just on iTunes and came across a BBT "album" called London Song. It looks like it's one 34 min track. Can you guys explain that to me? Thanks
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I was just on iTunes and came across a BBT "album" called London Song. It looks like it's one 34 min track. Can you guys explain that to me? Thanks
Sure! Greg wrote a series of songs about London in the album cycle from Folklore to The Second Brightest Star (including the Wassail EP). The fans noticed this, and there was lots of discussion and debate and shared playlists back and forth on the band’s FB group about what the proper order would be for a theoretical “London Suite.”
Well, eventually the band put some thought into this and decided to come up with an official order and edited the songs together to make an official release, titling it “London Song.” It was originally a free download at Bandcamp, and then eventually they released it on CD on the Summer’s Lease compilation as well.
The official London Song is:
Turner on the Thames
London Plane
Lost Rivers of London
London Stone
Skylon
Mudlarks
I remember I had come up with a slightly different playing order myself before this came out. It was interesting to see how opinions differed on it back then.
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I was just on iTunes and came across a BBT "album" called London Song. It looks like it's one 34 min track. Can you guys explain that to me? Thanks
Sure! Greg wrote a series of songs about London in the album cycle from Folklore to The Second Brightest Star (including the Wassail EP). The fans noticed this, and there was lots of discussion and debate and shared playlists back and forth on the band’s FB group about what the proper order would be for a theoretical “London Suite.”
Well, eventually the band put some thought into this and decided to come up with an official order and edited the songs together to make an official release, titling it “London Song.” It was originally a free download at Bandcamp, and then eventually they released it on CD on the Summer’s Lease compilation as well.
The official London Song is:
Turner on the Thames
London Plane
Lost Rivers of London
London Stone
Skylon
Mudlarks
I remember I had come up with a slightly different playing order myself before this came out. It was interesting to see how opinions differed on it back then.
Thank you for the explanation. So it's just a compilation of these songs then versus anything new? The only one thing I can say that I'm not crazy about with BBT, was the "sequence" versions of Brooklands and London Plane on TSBS. To me they were perfect songs as is, and adding an extended intro did nothing for them IMO.
I haven't really updated you guys on my BBT discovery in a while, but I guess now's as good a time as any. To me, the run from The Underfall Yard to Grimspound, is as good of a five album run of any band I've ever heard (maybe Rush 2112-MP can compare). Every one of these albums (TUY, FSDT, EEFP, Folklore, Grimspound) is an absolute masterpiece IMO. As mentioned above, TSBS is standing out as a weak link. The "new" tunes are all decent enough I suppose, but I'm not getting any chill inducing, moving me to tears moments like I do in all of their previous 5 efforts. And like I said, I don't see the point in messing with 2 songs that are incredible as is and help to make Folklore a perfect 10/10 album for me. I was a little worried maybe they were loosing some creativity or something at this point - and then I just picked up Grand Tour a few days ago, and holy crap, they did it again - another masterpiece! I need to dig deeper into Grand Tour, but I'm absolutely loving everything I'm hearing on this one, incredible!
Right now I have BBT as my 4th favorite band/artist of all-time. Only behind Rush (they'll always be my favorite), Dream Theater and Neal Morse (they're slowly catching Neal for 3rd place). Incredible band! And I'm really excited about their future now after seeing that short clip they put out last week.
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Thank you for the explanation. So it's just a compilation of these songs then versus anything new? The only one thing I can say that I'm not crazy about with BBT, was the "sequence" versions of Brooklands and London Plane on TSBS. To me they were perfect songs as is, and adding an extended intro did nothing for them IMO.
Right, there is no new music on London Song that you can’t get elsewhere, which is why they offered it free on Bandcamp. It was basically done as a nod to the enthusiasts who would frequently ask the band about the definite order of the songs in the suite. But it also serves as a nice introduction to that era of the band I think.
The Second Brightest Star is probably my least favorite BBT release, but it’s mostly just a collection of leftover bits and pieces and stitching a few things together more for fun than anything else. Kind of their equivalent of DT’s “Cleaning Out the Closet.” Though there are some things on it that I do love (Leaden Stour and Terra Australis Incognita especially).
Personally I think the London Plane Sequence is the definitive version of London Plane and the intro does take it to another level for me. As I recall, Greg always intended to have an extended intro but they didn’t have time (or maybe budget) to record all of it for Folklore. Those are the sorts of choices you have to make as a small, independent band I guess. Brooklands Sequence would have made more sense in a world without the ability to easily make playlists, but it’s kind of cool to listen to them as one piece from time to time.
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Thank you for the explanation. So it's just a compilation of these songs then versus anything new? The only one thing I can say that I'm not crazy about with BBT, was the "sequence" versions of Brooklands and London Plane on TSBS. To me they were perfect songs as is, and adding an extended intro did nothing for them IMO.
Right, there is no new music on London Song that you can’t get elsewhere, which is why they offered it free on Bandcamp. It was basically done as a nod to the enthusiasts who would frequently ask the band about the definite order of the songs in the suite. But it also serves as a nice introduction to that era of the band I think.
To expand upon that, the version of "London Song" on the Japanese compilation Summer's Lease does feature some edits and additional keyboards to help tie the whole thing together and create better segues between the six pieces, so it is different than the Bandcamp free version and the individual songs released on prior albums. Honestly, if you want to listen to it, just seek out a copy of Summer's Lease, which has some unreleased tracks and versions of other tracks as well, plus, it's just a really great compilation.
-Marc.
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Thank you for the explanation. So it's just a compilation of these songs then versus anything new? The only one thing I can say that I'm not crazy about with BBT, was the "sequence" versions of Brooklands and London Plane on TSBS. To me they were perfect songs as is, and adding an extended intro did nothing for them IMO.
Right, there is no new music on London Song that you can’t get elsewhere, which is why they offered it free on Bandcamp. It was basically done as a nod to the enthusiasts who would frequently ask the band about the definite order of the songs in the suite. But it also serves as a nice introduction to that era of the band I think.
To expand upon that, the version of "London Song" on the Japanese compilation Summer's Lease does feature some edits and additional keyboards to help tie the whole thing together and create better segues between the six pieces, so it is different than the Bandcamp free version and the individual songs released on prior albums. Honestly, if you want to listen to it, just seek out a copy of Summer's Lease, which has some unreleased tracks and versions of other tracks as well, plus, it's just a really great compilation.
-Marc.
That’s right. I couldn’t remember if the segues were on both versions or just the Summer’s Lease version (though they are only a very minor modification).
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Thank you for the explanation. So it's just a compilation of these songs then versus anything new? The only one thing I can say that I'm not crazy about with BBT, was the "sequence" versions of Brooklands and London Plane on TSBS. To me they were perfect songs as is, and adding an extended intro did nothing for them IMO.
Right, there is no new music on London Song that you can’t get elsewhere, which is why they offered it free on Bandcamp. It was basically done as a nod to the enthusiasts who would frequently ask the band about the definite order of the songs in the suite. But it also serves as a nice introduction to that era of the band I think.
To expand upon that, the version of "London Song" on the Japanese compilation Summer's Lease does feature some edits and additional keyboards to help tie the whole thing together and create better segues between the six pieces, so it is different than the Bandcamp free version and the individual songs released on prior albums. Honestly, if you want to listen to it, just seek out a copy of Summer's Lease, which has some unreleased tracks and versions of other tracks as well, plus, it's just a really great compilation.
-Marc.
That’s right. I couldn’t remember if the segues were on both versions or just the Summer’s Lease version (though they are only a very minor modification).
As minor as they might seem, I think they add a lot in terms of making the whole piece feel more cohesive. It's the difference between making a playlist and making a suite.
-Marc.
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Very cool NDV playthrough of The Florentine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGexdc4LkwQ
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Very cool NDV playthrough of The Florentine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGexdc4LkwQ
NDV is amazing!
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Very cool NDV playthrough of The Florentine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGexdc4LkwQ
Saw this yesterday! I would pay good money for a BD of Nick just playing all of the BBT songs on drums and singing his vocal parts, like many of Mike Portnoy's drum cam DVDs. Nick is just mesmerizing to watch, and his powerful, yet subtle drum work is one of the best aspects of BBT, and of SB as well during his tenure with the band. I wish more people knew about him in the drumming world.
-Marc.
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I always enjoyed NDV's work in the Beard (At The End Of The Day) but I never really gave him the same attention or love that I give other drummers. His work with BBT totally changed my view of him. He seemed to save the best for them. I mean, that groove he plays in Folklore is a highlight of the song for me.
Whatever the case, he really takes it to another level on the train.
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Nice in depth interview with Greg Spawton.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5bzg0RZhjXU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Y3V1HjchMiWDu6Lm6QQGbu15McH60zJjJdBFB4_nvHW4Yascsduggx9E
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Nice in depth interview with Greg Spawton.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5bzg0RZhjXU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Y3V1HjchMiWDu6Lm6QQGbu15McH60zJjJdBFB4_nvHW4Yascsduggx9E
Cool, I will check this out later. Thanks for sharing.
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Nice in depth interview with Greg Spawton.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5bzg0RZhjXU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Y3V1HjchMiWDu6Lm6QQGbu15McH60zJjJdBFB4_nvHW4Yascsduggx9E
Watched this last night and it was a great interview! I like that Greg brought up the Bard re-issue and the possibility of performing "The Last English King" live. It would be neat to see the band pull out a few Pre-TUY songs with Alberto as their new vocalist. I think they were hesitant to bring out a lot of older material with David because they had built up a reputation as a band with David's music since he joined, so they probably wanted to keep the focus on the music they had released since he joined them. With Alberto, however, all BBT music seems fair game at this point, and it'd be neat to see them play some songs from their first five albums. and maybe update the arrangements to include violin and the brass ensemble!
-Marc.
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Nice in depth interview with Greg Spawton.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5bzg0RZhjXU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Y3V1HjchMiWDu6Lm6QQGbu15McH60zJjJdBFB4_nvHW4Yascsduggx9E
Watched this last night and it was a great interview! I like that Greg brought up the Bard re-issue and the possibility of performing "The Last English King" live. It would be neat to see the band pull out a few Pre-TUY songs with Alberto as their new vocalist. I think they were hesitant to bring out a lot of older material with David because they had built up a reputation as a band with David's music since he joined, so they probably wanted to keep the focus on the music they had released since he joined them. With Alberto, however, all BBT music seems fair game at this point, and it'd be neat to see them play some songs from their first five albums. and maybe update the arrangements to include violin and the brass ensemble!
-Marc.
Yeah, I think playing some pre-Longdon stuff might take some of the pressure off Alberto to fill David’s shoes. Not sure how receptive the audiences would be to it, but I’m sure most dedicated BBT fans would be interested in some of the older stuff entering the set. Would love to see them dust off something like The Shipping Forecast.
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Nice in depth interview with Greg Spawton.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5bzg0RZhjXU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3Y3V1HjchMiWDu6Lm6QQGbu15McH60zJjJdBFB4_nvHW4Yascsduggx9E
Watched this last night and it was a great interview! I like that Greg brought up the Bard re-issue and the possibility of performing "The Last English King" live. It would be neat to see the band pull out a few Pre-TUY songs with Alberto as their new vocalist. I think they were hesitant to bring out a lot of older material with David because they had built up a reputation as a band with David's music since he joined, so they probably wanted to keep the focus on the music they had released since he joined them. With Alberto, however, all BBT music seems fair game at this point, and it'd be neat to see them play some songs from their first five albums. and maybe update the arrangements to include violin and the brass ensemble!
-Marc.
Yeah, I think playing some pre-Longdon stuff might take some of the pressure off Alberto to fill David’s shoes. Not sure how receptive the audiences would be to it, but I’m sure most dedicated BBT fans would be interested in some of the older stuff entering the set. Would love to see them dust off something like The Shipping Forecast.
That's a great point.
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A new newsletter from the band includes a short interview with Greg about the new state of the band, plus this tidbit about their shows in September:
"We are spoilt for choice for material to play for you but have devised a set list which includes a few tracks from Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet as well as so me old favourites plus a couple of songs from the back catalogue that have never been played live before. We will also be unveiling a brand new song."
Very exciting stuff! I can see them releasing a live album from these shows, which would be an interesting way to debut Alberto on a BBT album, unless they release his first studio album with them before those shows get a live album release (which is very likely given how long it usually takes them to work on a live album since we are just now getting the Loreley show this year, nearly four years later).
Greg says that a new band member will be interviewed in each future newsletter in the lead-up to the shows this fall, and the next one will be Nick! If you aren't subscribed to the BBT newsletter, be sure to do so ASAP to stay up to date on all the on-goings within the band, especially if you aren't a part of the Facebook group/follow the BBT Facebook page.
-Marc.
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#notsponsored :P
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Also noted in the newsletter was this interview with Alberto Bravin on Progzilla. He picked his top 10 songs (not sure it's all time or just prog songs or what) that get played during the interview. He mentions how DT was an early prog influence for him, especially on the keyboard and vocal side.
https://progzilla.com/live-from-progzilla-towers-edition-431-alberto-bravins-top-ten/
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A new newsletter from the band includes a short interview with Greg about the new state of the band, plus this tidbit about their shows in September:
"We are spoilt for choice for material to play for you but have devised a set list which includes a few tracks from Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet as well as so me old favourites plus a couple of songs from the back catalogue that have never been played live before. We will also be unveiling a brand new song."
Very exciting stuff! I can see them releasing a live album from these shows, which would be an interesting way to debut Alberto on a BBT album, unless they release his first studio album with them before those shows get a live album release (which is very likely given how long it usually takes them to work on a live album since we are just now getting the Loreley show this year, nearly four years later).
Greg says that a new band member will be interviewed in each future newsletter in the lead-up to the shows this fall, and the next one will be Nick! If you aren't subscribed to the BBT newsletter, be sure to do so ASAP to stay up to date on all the on-goings within the band, especially if you aren't a part of the Facebook group/follow the BBT Facebook page.
-Marc.
Where do I sign up for the newsletter? Is that the same as The Passengers Club?
-
A new newsletter from the band includes a short interview with Greg about the new state of the band, plus this tidbit about their shows in September:
"We are spoilt for choice for material to play for you but have devised a set list which includes a few tracks from Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet as well as so me old favourites plus a couple of songs from the back catalogue that have never been played live before. We will also be unveiling a brand new song."
Very exciting stuff! I can see them releasing a live album from these shows, which would be an interesting way to debut Alberto on a BBT album, unless they release his first studio album with them before those shows get a live album release (which is very likely given how long it usually takes them to work on a live album since we are just now getting the Loreley show this year, nearly four years later).
Greg says that a new band member will be interviewed in each future newsletter in the lead-up to the shows this fall, and the next one will be Nick! If you aren't subscribed to the BBT newsletter, be sure to do so ASAP to stay up to date on all the on-goings within the band, especially if you aren't a part of the Facebook group/follow the BBT Facebook page.
-Marc.
Where do I sign up for the newsletter? Is that the same as The Passengers Club?
The newsletter is separate. You can sign up for free here by just giving them your email:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/subscribe/
The Passengers Club is a paid subscription, but lots of cool content to be had there:
https://thepassengersclub.com/
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A new newsletter from the band includes a short interview with Greg about the new state of the band, plus this tidbit about their shows in September:
"We are spoilt for choice for material to play for you but have devised a set list which includes a few tracks from Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet as well as so me old favourites plus a couple of songs from the back catalogue that have never been played live before. We will also be unveiling a brand new song."
Very exciting stuff! I can see them releasing a live album from these shows, which would be an interesting way to debut Alberto on a BBT album, unless they release his first studio album with them before those shows get a live album release (which is very likely given how long it usually takes them to work on a live album since we are just now getting the Loreley show this year, nearly four years later).
Greg says that a new band member will be interviewed in each future newsletter in the lead-up to the shows this fall, and the next one will be Nick! If you aren't subscribed to the BBT newsletter, be sure to do so ASAP to stay up to date on all the on-goings within the band, especially if you aren't a part of the Facebook group/follow the BBT Facebook page.
-Marc.
Where do I sign up for the newsletter? Is that the same as The Passengers Club?
The newsletter is separate. You can sign up for free here by just giving them your email:
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/subscribe/
The Passengers Club is a paid subscription, but lots of cool content to be had there:
https://thepassengersclub.com/
OK, thanks. I need to sign up for both!
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I watched the Stone & Steel video yesterday for the first time (found it on YT). What a masterful performance. A lovely rendition of Uncle Jack in particular, and it has my favourite version of Kingmaker. Danny and Rachel was impressive on Wind Distorted Pioneers.
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I watched the Stone & Steel video yesterday for the first time (found it on YT). What a masterful performance. A lovely rendition of Uncle Jack in particular, and it has my favourite version of Kingmaker. Danny and Rachel was impressive on Wind Distorted Pioneers.
That performance of Uncle Jack is easily my favorite version of it.
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https://youtu.be/UHyZ8DY4Mqs
New Fall Tour trailer featuring Alberto singing some classic BBT songs, and ending with a new one I believe!
-Marc.
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https://youtu.be/UHyZ8DY4Mqs
New Fall Tour trailer featuring Alberto singing some classic BBT songs, and ending with a new one I believe!
-Marc.
Will take some getting used to, but he can definitely sing. A bit more of an operatic metal style. I also imagine these are from the demos he sang when he auditioned, so maybe not fully produced by the band. I imagine these shows will be fantastic though. New song sounded really nice.
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https://youtu.be/UHyZ8DY4Mqs
New Fall Tour trailer featuring Alberto singing some classic BBT songs, and ending with a new one I believe!
-Marc.
Will take some getting used to, but he can definitely sing. A bit more of an operatic metal style. I also imagine these are from the demos he sang when he auditioned, so maybe not fully produced by the band. I imagine these shows will be fantastic though. New song sounded really nice.
I watched it twice and think he sounds great. Yes, this is going to take some getting used to - and I agree he's got more of that operatic metal style, but as we spoke about before, he's in an impossible situation - and they didn't want a David Longdon imitator. He definitely has the voice and range to hit the big high notes, but I was most impressed with how he sounded in his lower register on the new song (which sounds great) and in that part of A Mead Hall in Winter. All things considered, I think this is fantastic and I'm excited for the bands future.
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I think with so many vocalists in the band, it wouldn't hurt if they also split some of the vocal duties when they hit the stage. Given Nick and Rikard some of David's vocal lines just to give the band a more vocally diverse feel and to separate itself from the Longdon-era performances of these songs. It could help the band rebuild its identity, which was already headed towards being a multi-vocalist band in the last two albums anyway, especially ending WTTP with a song mostly sung by Carly. I think future albums might also work with that framework as well - have some songs sung by Nick, Rikard, Carly, Claire, etc., as well as Alberto.
-Marc.
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I think with so many vocalists in the band, it wouldn't hurt if they also split some of the vocal duties when they hit the stage. Given Nick and Rikard some of David's vocal lines just to give the band a more vocally diverse feel and to separate itself from the Longdon-era performances of these songs. It could help the band rebuild its identity, which was already headed towards being a multi-vocalist band in the last two albums anyway, especially ending WTTP with a song mostly sung by Carly. I think future albums might also work with that framework as well - have some songs sung by Nick, Rikard, Carly, Claire, etc., as well as Alberto.
-Marc.
Great idea and I wouldn't be surprised if they do just that. I'm also wondering if Alberto will be just a front-man or will he play any instruments on stage (apparently he plays keyboards and guitar)?
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I think with so many vocalists in the band, it wouldn't hurt if they also split some of the vocal duties when they hit the stage. Given Nick and Rikard some of David's vocal lines just to give the band a more vocally diverse feel and to separate itself from the Longdon-era performances of these songs. It could help the band rebuild its identity, which was already headed towards being a multi-vocalist band in the last two albums anyway, especially ending WTTP with a song mostly sung by Carly. I think future albums might also work with that framework as well - have some songs sung by Nick, Rikard, Carly, Claire, etc., as well as Alberto.
-Marc.
Great idea and I wouldn't be surprised if they do just that. I'm also wondering if Alberto will be just a front-man or will he play any instruments on stage (apparently he plays keyboards and guitar)?
I could see him adding some keys and guitar to their next album, but on stage? Maybe some guitar, but they'll have a keyboard role filled in and Rikard also does some on stage as well, so unless they want to lighten the load around the band a bit, they could give Alberto some key parts. Same with guitar as they have Dove Foster and Rikard covering a lot of guitar parts, but if there's any monents they need two electric and one acoustic, they could use a third guitarist.
-Marc.
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So turn BBT into Transatlantic and have Alberto fill the Neal Morse role live? :biggrin:
Honestly, that's the first thing I thought of. I'm all for more of a vocal share. My guess is that will be up to Greg and how he wants to proceed. I love both Rikard and NDV so I'd be down for some 3-part (or more) lead stuff.
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So turn BBT into Transatlantic and have Alberto fill the Neal Morse role live? :biggrin:
Honestly, that's the first thing I thought of. I'm all for more of a vocal share. My guess is that will be up to Greg and how he wants to proceed. I love both Rikard and NDV so I'd be down for some 3-part (or more) lead stuff.
I mean, sure why not, but maybe not to the degree that Transatlantic is known for. Then again, as I said, it sounded like the band were already ready to expand their lead-vocal duties within the band with their last two albums.
At this point, I could see them doing longer concept songs or even a concept album and utilize each vocalist as a character or characters in a narrative concept. Could be interesting, depending on the concept, and it would be something they haven't really quite done before, though they've done some thematically-linked concept albums.
-Marc.
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Just watched the video. I loved his take on Mead Hall. Sound's excellent. I also liked that they included the penultimate moment of East Coast Racer. I'm liking what I am hearing from him. Looking forward to new music and a probable live album.
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Just watched the video. I loved his take on Mead Hall. Sound excellent. I also liked that they included the penultimate moment of East Coast Racer. I'm liking what I am hearing from him. Looking forward to new music and a probable live album.
Agreed, he sounds amazing on Mead Hall. I just watched it again, and I think he sounds great on all of it actually. I really like the snippet of the new song too. I'm very excited for their future!
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It looks like the solo album David Longdon was set to record just before he passed will be released posthumously.
Per Nick D'Virgilio in today’s BBT newsletter:
“The Big Big Train Book – Launch Event
There are a few slots left for this free event which takes place in London on Saturday 18th June. I wish I could be there but know it’s going to be a great evening. Gregory and the book’s author Grant Moon will be in conversation with writer/broadcaster Jo Kendall and I’m hearing that some music from David Longdon’s forthcoming solo album is going to be played too.”
From Kingmaker Management on Facebook:
“There will be a formal announcement about David’s posthumous solo album in the next month or so. Those attending the Big Big Train book event on Saturday 18th June will be getting a very special sneak preview!”
I’m assuming this is the new solo album Longdon was working on and not his out of print solo album Wild River (released back before he joined BBT). That was also slated to be remixed and reissued at some point before his death. Hopefully they are still able to do that at some point.
Nick also teased some additional news about the tour that will be announced on June 14th. There is also a demo version of "Uncle Jack" available in today's Passenger's Club update. It's Longdon's original demo with him playing all of the instruments/singing all the parts.
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What's that I hear? Why it's the @burningshed availability klaxon - warning that there are now under 300 copies left of the brand new @bigbigtrain book, Between The Lines - The Story of A Rock Band. It's time to get your order in so that you don't miss out!
Still not sure? Scroll our post to see some of the beautiful spreads inside and read what @progmagazine
and @classicrockmag
had to say about it.
#bigbigtrain
#bigbigtrainband
#bigbigtrainmusic
#gregspawton
#nickdivirgilio
#albertobravin
#rikardsjoblom
#davefoster
#carlybryant
#progmusic
#britishprog
#neoprog
#prog
#progmagazine
#booklaunch
#newrockmusicbook
#musicbook
#rockbiography
#musicbiography
#book
Looks like there won't be much time left to order one, so if you haven't yet, or have been on the fence, you may want to hop on this sooner than later.
I haven't received my copy yet but I'm hoping it arrives this week.
-Marc.
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They said in last week’s newsletter that the book would be for sale on Amazon soon. Keep checking every day. Still holding out because of the $35 it will cost to ship from the UK.
Here is the quote from the 6/16 newsletter (last Thursday):
“Gregory tells me that the book will also be available from the end of next week via Amazon and other bookstores, but those copies of the book will not be signed.”
So maybe Friday these will be available to order. Hopefully this includes from US sellers, which Greg indicated would be the case previously.
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They said in last week’s newsletter that the book would be for sale on Amazon soon. Keep checking every day. Still holding out because of the $35 it will cost to ship from the UK.
Here is the quote from the 6/16 newsletter (last Thursday):
“Gregory tells me that the book will also be available from the end of next week via Amazon and other bookstores, but those copies of the book will not be signed.”
So maybe Friday these will be available to order. Hopefully this includes from US sellers, which Greg indicated would be the case previously.
Greg usually answers to Facebook messages. I bet he will help you with this if you ask nicely!
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Alright, here’s the post I’ve been waiting for:
https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158996948878668/
Book is now available on Amazon, but it looks like only at the UK site (still at a big discount from the Burning Shed price for some reason). It will be available to order from The Band Wagon soon though, so I’ll probably wait for that!
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I got my book in the mail the other day and WOW is it heavier than I thought! I haven't begun reading it yet but I thumbed through it a bit and saw some great photos of the band and its members. I'm not normally a book reader but I'm excited to read about the history of one of my favorite bands (Rush/Neil Peart is the only other band I've read books on).
-Marc.
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Book is available from The Band Wagon USA now! Just ordered, though she said it won't be in stock until around July 6-8. Definitely saved on the shipping though. $5 v. $30.
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train/products/big-big-train-between-the-lines-the-story-of-a-rock-band-book-by-grant-moon
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Book is available from The Band Wagon USA now! Just ordered, though she said it won't be in stock until around July 6-8. Definitely saved on the shipping though. $5 v. $30.
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train/products/big-big-train-between-the-lines-the-story-of-a-rock-band-book-by-grant-moon
Dang... ah well, guess I could've saved $32 if I had waited but at least my copy is signed by Grant and Greg! I guess that's worth something.
-Marc.
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Book is available from The Band Wagon USA now! Just ordered, though she said it won't be in stock until around July 6-8. Definitely saved on the shipping though. $5 v. $30.
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train/products/big-big-train-between-the-lines-the-story-of-a-rock-band-book-by-grant-moon
Dang... ah well, guess I could've saved $32 if I had waited but at least my copy is signed by Grant and Greg! I guess that's worth something.
-Marc.
Yeah, I almost pulled the trigger on the Burning Shed copy just for the signature. Too bad they couldn't have shipped some signed copies to Rita to sell in the US.
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Posthumous David Longdon solo album announced. Will be released on October 14!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/listen-to-brand-new-trailer-for-upcoming-david-longdon-solo-album
(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QY4HtcptkHRX6VWymTGtUk-970-80.jpg.webp)
David Longdon: Door One
1. Into The Icehouse
2. Watch It Burn
3. There’s No Ghost Like An Old Ghost
4. The Singer And The Song
5. Forgive (But Not Forget)
6. Sangfroid
7. The Letting Go
8. Love Is All
Trailer: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l067jCbIk_0
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Wow, can’t find an official announcement, but the band retweeted this and there’s a discussion thread for it on the Facebook group. The concert from Lorely will be released on October 14th as well! “Summer Shall Not Fade.”
https://twitter.com/gandalf81/status/1541768290309230592?s=21&t=Ic7V1EYEW3848PljRDv-gA
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FWVxyMJXEAMFrkO?format=jpg&name=large)
Edit: ah, there was an email update with both announcements in my inbox. Apparently email is the last thing I check in a day!
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I got more emotional than I thought I would hearing David's voice and his solo album cuts. I'm really looking forward to both of these releases. :heart
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I got more emotional than I thought I would hearing David's voice and his solo album cuts. I'm really looking forward to both of these releases. :heart
It really is something to hear his voice again. I imagine listening to the album the first time will be quite emotional.
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This is great news.
I was a that Loreley show and stood in the middle of the first row and it was one of the greatest things I have ever seen.
Also, I am very excited but also sad to hear David's voice again in new music for what I presume is the very last time ever.
Man it's just so sad he is no longer with us.
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Saw on Facebook that Greg performed 12-string guitar on a couple of the songs on Door One. This will definitely be a very emotional album, for sure, but I look forward to it very much, as well as the Loreley concert. Now we'll have a, more or less, complete collection of live BBT concerts from 2015-2019 from each of their short stints of shows during those years. I suspect we will see a new studio album and another live album (from this fall's shows) coming next year as well, so it feels like this train isn't slowing down!
After I get paid tomorrow, I'll be pre-ordering the Summer Shall Not Fade/Door One bundle from TheBandWagonUSA. No way am I missing out on these releases!
-Marc.
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I will definitely be picking up both as well.
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Pre-ordered the package of both from Bandwagon. Listened to the trailer for David's album and that sealed it, not that I didn't think I would buy it. Just wanted a taste.
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New video for the first single from Door One has been posted:
https://youtu.be/H885nF4X5Fo
Very good, powerful song. David's voice is certainly something else and will continue to be missed.
-Marc.
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Reading through Between The Lines this week and listening album by album at the same time. It actually has worked out pretty well as it takes me about an album’s length to get through each chapter, so I’ve generally been on the right album for whatever part of the book I’m reading. Accidentally skipped Far Skies Deep Time and started on EE this morning! Woops! Had to go back, which was hard because EE was really captivating me. But now I’ve got FSDT on and it is also just so magical. Just tremendous music.
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So I’ve just finished reading Between The Lines. It’s a very thorough and well written overview of the band’s career, taking time to go into some detail about each band member, album, and live show. To me the biggest revelation is how sour the relationship between Greg Spawton and Andy Poole turned. I had only the vaguest hint of some resentment there after the split (Greg had once answered a question of mine on Facebook about who played bass on TUY, and I got the sense from that answer that Andy had all but stopped contributing to the band musically by that point). I had always chalked Andy’s departure more to him sort of being redundant once the band started taking on more seasoned players/performers. But it really sounds like it was more of a conflict between Greg and Andy in terms of the direction and commitment to the band as more of a full time, commercial venture. Essentially, Andy didn’t want to take the same kind of risks that Greg did to move the band forward, and Greg came to feel that Andy wasn’t committed or pulling his weight. The eventual split was much more acrimonious than I realized. That was kind of a hard part to read.
You really do get a sense of how much Greg has poured himself into this band, even to the point where he’s butted heads with members throughout the band’s career. I think there may be a bit of resentment from both Martin Read and Sean Filkins about how their time in the band came to an end as well. Greg was also fairly precious about the songwriting really up until Longdon came on board. Longdon really was the perfect fit for the band and partner for Greg. I worry a little bit about the band dynamic going forward as Greg always had Andy as his right hand guy up until David took on that roll when he joined. It will be interesting to see how the band functions without that sort of dynamic going forward, or if Alberto can slide into that roll or what.
One very cool thing that made its way into the book is that the band is planning the release in 2022 or 2023 of a compilation titled “Ingenious Devices” which will include renditions of East Coast Racer and Brooklands with string arrangements recorded at Abbey Road Studios back at the same time as strings were tracked for Voyager. I feel like this has been teased in the past, but I can’t recall if that title has been mentioned before. Not sure what else will be included, but I wonder if some of the long rumored Station Masters recordings will find their way there.
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Something always struck me as off with Andy. I'm a fastidious reader of liner notes and I noticed that Andy's credits all but disappeared over time. Made me wonder exactly what his role was. Couple that with the live shows that we have. Andy is almost never featured on camera and it's almost like they avoid him. I have tried on several viewings to see what he is doing and a lot of times he just seems to be sitting back there doing nothing or tuning an acoustic guitar.
I, frankly, am not surprised by the revelation. Even as a newbie, the situation seemed off to me with Andy.
As for co-writing, I think Greg is acutely aware of what he has with Rikard and NDV. I expect they will step it up even more with David gone.
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When I met up for lunch with yeshaberto last Friday, we started talking about bands we had been meaning to check out, but hadn't heard much from.
For the life of me, I could not remember this band that I had only heard a few tracks from that just recently had a lead singer pass away. I'm so happy this thread got bumped to the top today. Totally jogged my memory.
I really have to check out more from these guys.
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Something always struck me as off with Andy. I'm a fastidious reader of liner notes and I noticed that Andy's credits all but disappeared over time. Made me wonder exactly what his role was. Couple that with the live shows that we have. Andy is almost never featured on camera and it's almost like they avoid him. I have tried on several viewings to see what he is doing and a lot of times he just seems to be sitting back there doing nothing or tuning an acoustic guitar.
I, frankly, am not surprised by the revelation. Even as a newbie, the situation seemed off to me with Andy.
As for co-writing, I think Greg is acutely aware of what he has with Rikard and NDV. I expect they will step it up even more with David gone.
I wouldn’t say his departure was so much of a shock, as he did seem to take on a much reduced role once the band started bringing in more talent. What surprised me was how acrimonious it apparently got, and for some time before he left, starting with tension between him and Greg about going to Real World to record Stone & Steel. He thought it was too much of a financial extravagance. Then the King’s Place show, Greg felt like Andy left him to do all the work making arrangements for the show (they were basically the only two partners in the org at that point).
Andy’s role even back before Longdon seemed to be more about production and engineering their recordings, which were largely home made with Aubrey doing the vocals and mixes at his studios. He stopped contributing bass on The Difference Machine, and after that it seems like he would just get the odd parts on record. But he did a lot of the production legwork, coordinating everyone’s remote recordings, curating parts, and putting together the songs with Rob Aubrey. For a long time it was really just him and Greg running things before Longdon came along.
Live, he was essentially just rounding out all of the extra little keyboard and guitar parts that Danny and Rikard's couldn’t cover themselves. But he wasn’t really a “player” and since BBT was not a touring venture for many years, I don’t think he was ever really comfortable with taking the band beyond a studio project. I think that was kind of the main wedge between him and Greg. After the Stone & Steel experiment, everyone was excited about the prospect of being able to perform live, but on the way home afterward Andy basically told Greg he thought playing live wasn’t a good idea, and that really chafed Greg.
It does sound like with some time past, they have mended things a bit, but I don’t think they were on very good terms at all when he left or for some time afterward.
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When I met up for lunch with yeshaberto last Friday, we started talking about bands we had been meaning to check out, but hadn't heard much from.
For the life of me, I could not remember this band that I had only heard a few tracks from that just recently had a lead singer pass away. I'm so happy this thread got bumped to the top today. Totally jogged my memory.
I really have to check out more from these guys.
Definitely should check them out! You’re a big IQ guy, right? Not that they are that much alike, but they have a lot of connections to IQ (they started out on their label, Martin Orford has played on some of their albums, etc.). Check out The Underfall Yard album and/or English Electric at a minimum.
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When I met up for lunch with yeshaberto last Friday, we started talking about bands we had been meaning to check out, but hadn't heard much from.
For the life of me, I could not remember this band that I had only heard a few tracks from that just recently had a lead singer pass away. I'm so happy this thread got bumped to the top today. Totally jogged my memory.
I really have to check out more from these guys.
Definitely should check them out! You’re a big IQ guy, right? Not that they are that much alike, but they have a lot of connections to IQ (they started out on their label, Martin Orford has played on some of their albums, etc.). Check out The Underfall Yard album and/or English Electric at a minimum.
Absolutely! I only just discovered IQ just before the road of bones came out and I got into them very slowly. But in the last two or three years I’ve become an absolute freak. They have quickly rocketed to my number three all-time band. And I did not know that BBT had a connection to IQ. Now you can definitely bet I’ll be picking up an album or two within the next week or so.
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Great place to sample and possibly buy many since a lot of the physical is either out of print or terribly hard to find.
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/
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When I met up for lunch with yeshaberto last Friday, we started talking about bands we had been meaning to check out, but hadn't heard much from.
For the life of me, I could not remember this band that I had only heard a few tracks from that just recently had a lead singer pass away. I'm so happy this thread got bumped to the top today. Totally jogged my memory.
I really have to check out more from these guys.
Definitely check them out, they've become a top 5 all time favorite band for me. Incredible stuff! Plus one for starting with The Underfall Yard and working your way forward from there. Enjoy the ride!
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I can get Underfall Yard through Amazon. But it seems I can get both the original, or the newly remixed and remastered version. Does anyone out there have a preference? I know sometimes the remixes and remasters can be disasters. But other times, the original recording was in desperate need of some retooling.
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I can get Underfall Yard through Amazon. But it seems I can get both the original, or the newly remixed and remastered version. Does anyone out there have a preference? I know sometimes the remixes and remasters can be disasters. But other times, the original recording was in desperate need of some retooling.
The new remix sounds fantastic and is a step up from the original sound-wise (which was mixed on a budget with lesser equipment), so it's worth it if you're willing to spring for it. Not that the original sounded bad at all, but Rob Aubrey did something magical to make the drums sound much fuller than on the original. There are a few minor things about the original that I prefer, but they are only minor. The second disc on the remix edition has some interesting stuff on it but probably isn't essential if you do decide to start with the original version.
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Trailer for Summer Shall Not Fade:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/watch-the-trailer-for-big-big-trains-summer-shall-not-fade-live-at-loreley
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I just pre-ordered it from Burning Shed.
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Looks and sounds incredible!
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Looks and sounds incredible!
DITTO. I know I will be a blubbering baby the whole way through but man I cannot wait for this.
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Looks and sounds incredible!
DITTO. I know I will be a blubbering baby the whole way through but man I cannot wait for this.
Me too LOL
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My goodness. The band have to postpone their European tour once again because of the shenanigans by the HRH Prog festival. At this point, it feels like consistent touring for the band is just never going to happen and they should focus on studio work with maybe going back to doing a three night run in a single location every year or so since touring doesn’t seem to make financial sense anymore.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/live/
But, they did tease this for next week!
We will be issuing a further update next week, including news of more exciting touring in 2023 as well as releasing a new song to give you a taste of things to come!
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Wonder why HRH postponed? Covid can't really be an excuse anymore as we've basically fully opened up now.
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Wonder why HRH postponed? Covid can't really be an excuse anymore as we've basically fully opened up now.
The official statement was “logistical and operational challenges” with the venue. They also cited travel costs for bands and fans being prohibitive. No idea what the real story is, but they “postponed” the festival rather than cancelled it so ticket holders couldn’t get refunds. Oh, and they moved it to another location on a date when the headliner (BBT) couldn’t play, so people with tickets and travel plans to see BBT are just out of luck now.
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Didn't take long to answer the question of if I'd make an appearance in this. :D
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52289059995_ab8cc45d9a_z.jpg)
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Didn't take long to answer the question of if I'd make an appearance in this. :D
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52289059995_ab8cc45d9a_z.jpg)
Awesome!
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I just saw on Facebook that the band announced they plan to record and film the upcoming Zoetermeer show for a future live release.
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I just saw on Facebook that the band announced they plan to record and film the upcoming Zoetermeer show for a future live release.
Good to hear. Kind of hope for a quick turnaround as I think it would be a great introduction and way for us to ease into Alberto. Not sure they actually would since Loreley is coming out soon and look how long it took to put that out.
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New song!
“Last Eleven”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3Ka0ZiLjr3TPR7hU5GyEIFTTKgiE8R-pX51uQigO7OR043eCamwPnSOx8&v=I6uogyFjva4&feature=youtu.be
Fantastic! Has an early BBT feel to it, in places he reminds me a bit of Sean Filkins. It’s noted to still be a “work in progress,” but I love what I’m hearing.
Louder Sound article:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-release-first-track-with-new-singer-alberto-bravin?fbclid=IwAR3ghNXvE5eDTvHHWwLOn2NlsNV4k_Eg-mVeuRfNXnvzlGxIF4QBm4RLuww
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Stunning song, even if it's a WIP. Alberto sounds great, but Nick always leaves a huge impression on me. I do hear a bit of Filkins-era BBT in there as well but with a bit of Longdon-era sprinkled in. It's like the band is reaching back and moving forward at the same time... like a train.
-Marc.
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Love it!!! Was getting choked up listening to it as their music brings me such joy. This still has the BBT "Magic", no doubt!
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What a lovely song, and Alberto has a fine voice.
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amazing song :metal
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Gregory posted the lyrics and the back story at the official BBT Facebook group:
"I have had a few requests for the lyrics to the new BBT song and they can be found below. The song is about the feeling that many people have (certainly I did) of not fitting in very well or of being an outsider. This feeling was particularly prevalent for me when I went to secondary school (a big scary grammar school in the Midlands.) The school was very focused on sports and, in order to fully fit in, it seemed like the kids needed to be successful on the rugby or cricket fields. Those who were less sporty were consigned to make-up-the-numbers teams (the teams were literally called 'Extras'). The funny thing was, some of us in Extras were actually quite good at some aspects of sport (never judge a book by its cover...) so we would sometimes get one over on the cool kids. At the centre of the narrative of the song is a real-life duel I had during one cricket match. I felt quite lost at the school for some time, but eventually found a group of people who had shared interests of rock music and fantasy role playing games. These people became my friends (some of them still to this day). I realised that there was a place for almost everyone and this is the core theme of Last Eleven, that even when you sometimes feel left behind there will always be people who are similarly lost and are waiting to be found or who will be there to find others in a similar situation".
There we were standing in line
Late to bloom, slow to shine
We wait for our turn to come around
Shadows lengthen on the ground
Then we are found
Together we are stronger
We can take wing and scale the heights
Hang out in the long grass if we like
Or build ourselves a home
With towers that reach the sky
So, here we stand
He wants to knock me out the park
I send a full-pelter through
Warming up, getting in the groove
It's not who they think you are
But what you choose to be
We were the last eleven
Those left behind
The oversights, the extras
The make-up-the-numbers
The footnotes in other stories
Low-deckers, slow starters
Don't-give-them-a-second-glancers
Shallow enders
This time I had the length just right
Fast paced I sent his wicket flying
Sometimes the quiet ones can roar
Those at the back come to the fore
There's hope enough for us all
And light left in the day
We were the last eleven
Those left behind
The oversights, the extras
The make-up-the-numbers
The footnotes in other stories
Low-deckers, slow starters
Don't-give-them-a-second-glancers
Shallow enders
We stepped out from the shadows
Headed for the light
Blinking and stumbling
Hoping it will all be alright
We came up from the darkness
Turned our faces to the sun
Together we were stronger
We were not the only ones
Shallow enders, last eleven
Are we nearly there yet?
Can the likes of us
Find a place to call our own?
Shallow enders, last eleven
Are we nearly there yet?
Can the likes of us
Find a place to call our own?
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Wonderful songwriting as always by Mr. Spawton!
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This is an incredible song. I’ve listed to it 4 or 5 times now and the melodies are totally stuck in my head. I CANNOT wait to get a whole new album with Alberto now. Very excited for the bands future.
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Fun video of NDV geeking out over his new symbols for the BBT tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bNlQH8jwBk
You may not want want to watch him unboxing and assembling them, but he starts demoing everything around 18 minutes, or just skip to 26 minutes to watch him playing a few minutes of Apollo.
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Fun video of NDV geeking out over his new symbols for the BBT tour.
I'd watch that, but I'd rather wait to see him geeking out over his new cymbals.
[/pedantry]
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Fun video of NDV geeking out over his new symbols for the BBT tour.
I'd watch that, but I'd rather wait to see him geeking out over his new cymbals.
[/pedantry]
Ah, late night posting. :facepalm:
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https://youtu.be/WG9NgDcOI3k
Rehearsal snippet for their upcoming shows! Happy to see them playing one of my favorite songs! (Not saying the title so I don't spoil it for anyone going to the shows next month).
-Marc.
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https://youtu.be/WG9NgDcOI3k
Rehearsal snippet for their upcoming shows! Happy to see them playing one of my favorite songs! (Not saying the title so I don't spoil it for anyone going to the shows next month).
-Marc.
Agreed. [Redacted] is sounding great with the new lineup!
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https://youtu.be/WG9NgDcOI3k
Rehearsal snippet for their upcoming shows! Happy to see them playing one of my favorite songs! (Not saying the title so I don't spoil it for anyone going to the shows next month).
-Marc.
Sounds incredible. Man, I hope they can figure out a way to do some US shows next year.
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First show of the tour today, and also Alberto's first show with BBT. Thornden Hall with Dim Gray as support act.
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First show of the tour today, and also Alberto's first show with BBT. Thornden Hall with Dim Gray as support act.
Bet this will be an amazing experience for those who can attends. Looks like the hall seats fewer than 500. Dim Gray apparently went down very well at one of the recent Marillion weekends. Planning to order a copy of the new album based on what I’ve heard so far (it’s out tomorrow).
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First show of the tour today, and also Alberto's first show with BBT. Thornden Hall with Dim Gray as support act.
Bet this will be an amazing experience for those who can attends. Looks like the hall seats fewer than 500. Dim Gray apparently went down very well at one of the recent Marillion weekends. Planning to order a copy of the new album based on what I’ve heard so far (it’s out tomorrow).
Can't wait to see the setlist and hopefully some YouTube clips.
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First show of the tour today, and also Alberto's first show with BBT. Thornden Hall with Dim Gray as support act.
Bet this will be an amazing experience for those who can attends. Looks like the hall seats fewer than 500. Dim Gray apparently went down very well at one of the recent Marillion weekends. Planning to order a copy of the new album based on what I’ve heard so far (it’s out tomorrow).
Can't wait to see the setlist and hopefully some YouTube clips.
Here it is, for anyone who wants to see it! No spoilers here though, at least not until these current run of shows are done!
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/thornden-hall-eastleigh-england-23b0a893.html
First impressions - it's a REALLY banger setlist. A really good mix of material across their catalog! I'm really excited to (eventually) get this set on CD/BD at some point. If it was stated before, I have forgotten, but has it been said which of these shows will be recorded for future release?
-Marc.
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Nice! Without spoiling too much, the majority of those have never been played live before. Greg did mention in one of his tour diaries I think that they may change up the set a bit from show to show as well.
Also, it’s the Zoetermere show on 9/5 that is being filmed (the last of the three they are playing).
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Nice! Without spoiling too much, the majority of those have never been played live before. Greg did mention in one of his tour diaries I think that they may change up the set a bit from show to show as well.
Also, it’s the Zoetermere show on 9/5 that is being filmed (the last of the three they are playing).
Ah okay, the Boerderij in Zoetermeer is a good venue, I think, if it's the same one that I've seen other bands record at before. If they are switching up some songs on the set between the three shows, I hope they at least have audio recordings for today's Southampton and Aylesbury shows to give us the non-Zoetermeer songs as bonus tracks on the CDs. I would love to have a documentation of every song played during this 3-show stint!
Doesn't seem like there are any clips of the warm-up show on YouTube just yet. Cannot wait to see some pop up!
-Marc.
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Nice! Without spoiling too much, the majority of those have never been played live before. Greg did mention in one of his tour diaries I think that they may change up the set a bit from show to show as well.
Also, it’s the Zoetermere show on 9/5 that is being filmed (the last of the three they are playing).
Ah okay, the Boerderij in Zoetermeer is a good venue, I think, if it's the same one that I've seen other bands record at before. If they are switching up some songs on the set between the three shows, I hope they at least have audio recordings for today's Southampton and Aylesbury shows to give us the non-Zoetermeer songs as bonus tracks on the CDs. I would love to have a documentation of every song played during this 3-show stint!
Doesn't seem like there are any clips of the warm-up show on YouTube just yet. Cannot wait to see some pop up!
-Marc.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they get some footage of the first two shows that they put out for Passengers Club members at least.
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First show of the tour today, and also Alberto's first show with BBT. Thornden Hall with Dim Gray as support act.
Bet this will be an amazing experience for those who can attends. Looks like the hall seats fewer than 500. Dim Gray apparently went down very well at one of the recent Marillion weekends. Planning to order a copy of the new album based on what I’ve heard so far (it’s out tomorrow).
Can't wait to see the setlist and hopefully some YouTube clips.
Here it is, for anyone who wants to see it! No spoilers here though, at least not until these current run of shows are done!
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/thornden-hall-eastleigh-england-23b0a893.html
First impressions - it's a REALLY banger setlist. A really good mix of material across their catalog! I'm really excited to (eventually) get this set on CD/BD at some point. If it was stated before, I have forgotten, but has it been said which of these shows will be recorded for future release?
-Marc.
Yes, awesome setlist. A few songs I would not of expected - and a few songs are missing that I would have expected - but overall a great setlist. Will be interesting to see if it changes at all tonight.
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https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/aylesbury-waterside-theatre-aylesbury-england-2bb0a88e.html
Set for Aylesbury is up.
-Marc.
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Nice to see that past BBT guest bassist Pete Trewavas attended the Ayelsbury show.
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I’ve been trying to find some YouTube clips but coming up empty.
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I’ve been trying to find some YouTube clips but coming up empty.
They were very strict on no phones during the gig, so you won’t be finding any. I’m exceptionally grateful for that rule, having to watch the concert through someone’s phone is always such a distraction.
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I’ve been trying to find some YouTube clips but coming up empty.
They were very strict on no phones during the gig, so you won’t be finding any. I’m exceptionally grateful for that rule, having to watch the concert through someone’s phone is always such a distraction.
I figured that and respect that. I’m just dying to see a clip of the new lineup with Alberto. Hopefully they’ll release an official live clip for us fans who could not attend.
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Nice review of the Ayelsburry show here (setlist spoilers) with some great pictures. I like how they went with a simpler light show and backdrop in lieu of the animations and video clips approach.
https://atthebarrier.com/2022/09/04/big-big-train-dim-gray-waterside-theatre-aylesbury-live-review/?fbclid=IwAR3jFqGc6SRCsoedWQi7KiEq5i_MW9u4PngTY00Fdp4tAZHeE1AH2KxBy7U
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https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/de-boerderij-zoetermeer-netherlands-4bb08f5e.html
Setlist for the show in Zoetermeer is up, for those who are curious!
-Marc.
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https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/de-boerderij-zoetermeer-netherlands-4bb08f5e.html
Setlist for the show in Zoetermeer is up, for those who are curious!
-Marc.
That’s the one that will supposedly be filmed/released. Sad that Proper Jack Forster didn’t make it into this one (it was played only at the warm up gig).
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https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/de-boerderij-zoetermeer-netherlands-4bb08f5e.html
Setlist for the show in Zoetermeer is up, for those who are curious!
-Marc.
That’s the one that will supposedly be filmed/released. Sad that Proper Jack Forster didn’t make it into this one (it was played only at the warm up gig).
Several songs didn't make it to Zoetermeer, which got "East Coast Racer" the only time among these 3 shows. The songs they didn't play at Zoetermeer include "Summer's Lease", "Snowfalls", "Proper Jack Froster".
Overall they played 16 different songs between the three shows, and hopefully the three they didn't play at Zoetermeer make it as bonus tracks on the CD and/or BD, or at least show up on YouTube or The Passengers Club.
-Marc.
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https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/de-boerderij-zoetermeer-netherlands-4bb08f5e.html
Setlist for the show in Zoetermeer is up, for those who are curious!
-Marc.
That’s the one that will supposedly be filmed/released. Sad that Proper Jack Forster didn’t make it into this one (it was played only at the warm up gig).
Several songs didn't make it to Zoetermeer, which got "East Coast Racer" the only time among these 3 shows. The songs they didn't play at Zoetermeer include "Summer's Lease", "Snowfalls", "Proper Jack Froster".
Overall they played 16 different songs between the three shows, and hopefully the three they didn't play at Zoetermeer make it as bonus tracks on the CD and/or BD, or at least show up on YouTube or The Passengers Club.
-Marc.
Yeah, it’s kind of a shame because the Thornden Hall setlist was the most interesting of the three to me, and the Zoetermeer show contains mostly material previously played live.
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https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
The 2022/2023 tour t-shirt and program are now available for US fans to purchase! Just ordered one of each for myself! I'm especially excited for the program since I am in it!
-Marc.
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https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
The 2022/2023 tour t-shirt and program are now available for US fans to purchase! Just ordered one of each for myself! I'm especially excited for the program since I am in it!
-Marc.
How are you in the tour program?
-
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
The 2022/2023 tour t-shirt and program are now available for US fans to purchase! Just ordered one of each for myself! I'm especially excited for the program since I am in it!
-Marc.
How are you in the tour program?
Pasengers were asked to submit small blurbs about "Songs that make you sing" and many of us had our blurb and photo inserted into the program! It was originally supposed to be for earlier this year but because of the canceled NA shows and all that, they all got pushed into this fall program.
-Marc.
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https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
The 2022/2023 tour t-shirt and program are now available for US fans to purchase! Just ordered one of each for myself! I'm especially excited for the program since I am in it!
-Marc.
How are you in the tour program?
Pasengers were asked to submit small blurbs about "Songs that make you sing" and many of us had our blurb and photo inserted into the program! It was originally supposed to be for earlier this year but because of the canceled NA shows and all that, they all got pushed into this fall program.
-Marc.
Very cool. Which song did you comment on?
-
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
The 2022/2023 tour t-shirt and program are now available for US fans to purchase! Just ordered one of each for myself! I'm especially excited for the program since I am in it!
-Marc.
How are you in the tour program?
Pasengers were asked to submit small blurbs about "Songs that make you sing" and many of us had our blurb and photo inserted into the program! It was originally supposed to be for earlier this year but because of the canceled NA shows and all that, they all got pushed into this fall program.
-Marc.
Very cool. Which song did you comment on?
My submission was for "Kingmaker", which was one of the first BBT songs I'd ever heard. I've definitely made it known before how much I love that song, and I actually listened to it first on one of the PROG Magazine sampler CDs! Definitely one of my all-time favorite BBT pieces, and if I ever get the chance to see them live here in the US, I hope they play it.
-Marc.
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https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
The 2022/2023 tour t-shirt and program are now available for US fans to purchase! Just ordered one of each for myself! I'm especially excited for the program since I am in it!
-Marc.
How are you in the tour program?
Pasengers were asked to submit small blurbs about "Songs that make you sing" and many of us had our blurb and photo inserted into the program! It was originally supposed to be for earlier this year but because of the canceled NA shows and all that, they all got pushed into this fall program.
-Marc.
Very cool. Which song did you comment on?
My submission was for "Kingmaker", which was one of the first BBT songs I'd ever heard. I've definitely made it known before how much I love that song, and I actually listened to it first on one of the PROG Magazine sampler CDs! Definitely one of my all-time favorite BBT pieces, and if I ever get the chance to see them live here in the US, I hope they play it.
-Marc.
Great song, and man I hope they get to play some shows in the US next year. I will definitely travel to go see them if they do. Probably multiple shows for that matter.
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We're delighted to share 'Brave Captain' from our forthcoming live CD/Blu-ray set 'Summer Shall Not Fade'. "Our performance at Loreley in 2018 proved to be a very special evening for the band as it was the exact point at which we realised we could command bigger stages and play to larger audiences. Luckily, there was a film crew on site to capture the entire performance" (Greg Spawton).
https://youtu.be/FJRlKKqYdmU
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We're delighted to share 'Brave Captain' from our forthcoming live CD/Blu-ray set 'Summer Shall Not Fade'. "Our performance at Loreley in 2018 proved to be a very special evening for the band as it was the exact point at which we realised we could command bigger stages and play to larger audiences. Luckily, there was a film crew on site to capture the entire performance" (Greg Spawton).
https://youtu.be/FJRlKKqYdmU
Watched this last night. Wonderful performance. Looking forward to next month!
Also, for those Passenger Club members (and those who aren't, you really should consider joining!), there is a rehearsal video up this week of the band playing through Snowfalls. I'm really sad they didn't play this at the show that was filmed, but at least we get to see the rehearsal performance. Alberto knocks it out vocally and really sounds great within the band. He's his own singer with his own personality, but he fits into David's range just right. Really like what Dave Foster did with the solo as well.
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We're delighted to share 'Brave Captain' from our forthcoming live CD/Blu-ray set 'Summer Shall Not Fade'. "Our performance at Loreley in 2018 proved to be a very special evening for the band as it was the exact point at which we realised we could command bigger stages and play to larger audiences. Luckily, there was a film crew on site to capture the entire performance" (Greg Spawton).
https://youtu.be/FJRlKKqYdmU
I watched this yesterday and had to take a few minutes afterward to have a good cry. Simply phenomenal.
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We're delighted to share 'Brave Captain' from our forthcoming live CD/Blu-ray set 'Summer Shall Not Fade'. "Our performance at Loreley in 2018 proved to be a very special evening for the band as it was the exact point at which we realised we could command bigger stages and play to larger audiences. Luckily, there was a film crew on site to capture the entire performance" (Greg Spawton).
https://youtu.be/FJRlKKqYdmU
I watched this yesterday and had to take a few minutes afterward to have a good cry. Simply phenomenal.
Yeah, I was tearing up a bit as well. Amazing performance. The video looks great too!
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Alberto was on this live stream by The Prog Report yesterday. There’s a lot of waffling about so it’s not the most engaging thing to watch. But he did say that they are spending basically the rest of this year writing material and then have plans to record together in Italy next May. Then they are trying to schedule some shows for late 2023 with hopes to come to the US in 2024.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E5PCWFnTe-Q&fbclid=IwAR3HXMwfERWvlGZq0dbjHoY_eTTDK23mMG44pyZTGSo2uNmiWZQoJQy66XY
That timeline sounds to me like the next album might not be out until late 2023 at the earliest, but I’d kind of expect 2024
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Something tells me we might get the Alberto show they recorded as a palate cleanser until the new album comes out. Just guessing. Also gives them some income for the new album.
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Something tells me we might get the Alberto show they recorded as a palate cleanser until the new album comes out. Just guessing. Also gives them some income for the new album.
Yeah, I’d guess that will be out sometime in 2023. The known/hinted at releases on the horizon include:
- Summer Shall Not Fade (and Longdon’s solo album)
- Bard reissue
- Ingenious Devices (this is some sort of compilation album that will include orchestrated versions of East Coast Racer, Brooklands, and Voyager as revealed in the Between the Lines book).
- The Zotermeer show
So those would help tide us and the band over until 2024. I also wonder if they might not release an EP of some sort ahead of the 2023 tour with some of the material with Bravin. They’ve done several of these between albums in the past, and if there’s not a new album before that 2023 tour it would make sense to have a few new Bravin tunes to tour with.
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I for one am dying for some more new BBT material. The sooner the better lol.
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Literally 9 months after the last album lol. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Welcome to the Planet.
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Literally 9 months after the last album lol. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Welcome to the Planet.
I haven't forgotten about it. I love that album - I just can't get enough lol
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Literally 9 months after the last album lol. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Welcome to the Planet.
I haven't forgotten about it. I love that album - I just can't get enough lol
Ditto! I just listened to the whole thing a few days ago. Another wonderful album and a bittersweet swansong from David. I still get choked up a bit listening to "Capitoline Venus".
I'm looking forward to the Bard re-issue, if only to complete my physical CD collection. I hope the band revisiting this album prompts them to put in some of their pre-Longdon songs in future set lists (outside of "Summer's Lease").
I wonder what has ever happened with the recordings they did for the Station Masters compilation they were planning. I think I read they had done SOME re-recordings but I'm not sure to what extent. Perhaps it's touched upon in the book but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. It'd be great for those to see the light of day, but I look forward to Ingenious Devices.
A late 2023/early 2024 date for a brand new studio album is fine by me, although I don't doubt we will see a 2-4 song EP between now and then with "Last Eleven" on it. It's been awhile since their last physical CD single/EP, so they might do well to press one out before the next album to give us all a taste of what's to come.
Logically, I think they'll want to get all the old stuff out of the way before anything new, so Ingenious Devices and Bard will probably come before any new studio material is fully released on physical (the Zoetermeer show, any new singles/EPs, and the next studio album).
-Marc.
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
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That wouldn't surprise me considering how well-developed some of the songs they made on CG and WTTP were. Nick has pretty much killed it with the instrumentals he's written so far, especially since they all involve the brass band in some big ways. Greg's writing is quintessential BBT so it's hard to tell if his songs have developed to the point of being nearly done or if he just grows them with the band as they collaborate (which I know he did a lot of with David). And Rikard probably has the same amount of polish on his demos as Nick does.
Perhaps Alberto just wasn't prepared to hear the amount of great ideas that Rikard, Greg, and Nick had ready for the band, but I hope he's impressed in a good way!
-Marc.
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I think he was mostly joking, but he did seem impressed by the quality of the recording everyone was sharing from their respective home bases.
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
I think you're right about this. Some of those songs were available long before the album was released. While I love Welcome to The World, it's missing that true epic that all the other albums have - and all of their epics are awesome (that's one of reasons I love Grand Tour so much, 3 awesome songs about 14 mins each). But with that said, I find myself going back to Welcome to the World quite frequently (I love every song).
Question on the lyrics for the title track - does anyone know what this is about? Why is Auntie Carly telling the children she never made to grow their hair very long and that she hopes they don't get abducted? LOL. Seems pretty strange to me.
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
I think you're right about this. Some of those songs were available long before the album was released. While I love Welcome to The World, it's missing that true epic that all the other albums have - and all of their epics are awesome (that's one of reasons I love Grand Tour so much, 3 awesome songs about 14 mins each). But with that said, I find myself going back to Welcome to the World quite frequently (I love every song).
Question on the lyrics for the title track - does anyone know what this is about? Why is Auntie Carly telling the children she never made to grow their hair very long and that she hopes they don't get abducted? LOL. Seems pretty strange to me.
You mean "Welcome To The Planet", right? ;)
As for the lyrics, you can see what Carly has to say about the song on the WTTP microsite (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/welcome-to-the-planet/).
-Marc.
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
I think you're right about this. Some of those songs were available long before the album was released. While I love Welcome to The World, it's missing that true epic that all the other albums have - and all of their epics are awesome (that's one of reasons I love Grand Tour so much, 3 awesome songs about 14 mins each). But with that said, I find myself going back to Welcome to the World quite frequently (I love every song).
Question on the lyrics for the title track - does anyone know what this is about? Why is Auntie Carly telling the children she never made to grow their hair very long and that she hopes they don't get abducted? LOL. Seems pretty strange to me.
Here is what Carly Bryant had to say about it:
I wrote this song jet lagged in the middle of the night playing a grand piano with the Una Corda pedal on so as not to wake anybody. It was one of those songs that ‘wrote itself’ in one sitting. At the time I found the political situation unfathomable. I had also got locked into some optimistic (not) late night reading about extreme weather patterns, global warming and overpopulation. My close friend sent me a photo from hospital moments before I went to the piano: she had just given birth. In that way that the night time has, I felt full of worry. What does it mean to be born now? What would I say to this child….welcome to the planet? It sounded semi sarcastic and as a fan of dark humour, Cohen Brothers especially, I liked it. The image of a dystopian planet grew in my mind. The memory of starting school, and that terrifying paradox of being told to not talk to strangers but also not to be afraid came back to me. But I wanted the song to be positive and reassuring, ‘Grow your hair long, babe, you can’t go wrong’, is a T-Rex reference (every good song needs one?!): “be peaceful with your fellows”. The big chorus of voices are supposed to be the ‘goodies’ among us, appearing in the rivers and emerging from the trees…hidden voices under stones and on the clouds making newborns feel welcome and hopefully comforted..
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/welcome-to-the-planet/
She also talks about it here:
https://youtu.be/LMvrStmSJRU?t=464
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
I think you're right about this. Some of those songs were available long before the album was released. While I love Welcome to The World, it's missing that true epic that all the other albums have - and all of their epics are awesome (that's one of reasons I love Grand Tour so much, 3 awesome songs about 14 mins each). But with that said, I find myself going back to Welcome to the World quite frequently (I love every song).
Question on the lyrics for the title track - does anyone know what this is about? Why is Auntie Carly telling the children she never made to grow their hair very long and that she hopes they don't get abducted? LOL. Seems pretty strange to me.
You mean "Welcome To The Planet", right? ;)
As for the lyrics, you can see what Carly has to say about the song on the WTTP microsite (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/welcome-to-the-planet/).
-Marc.
Yes LOL. Was just listening to NMB The Great Adventure, and had Welcome to the World on my mind LOL
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
I think you're right about this. Some of those songs were available long before the album was released. While I love Welcome to The World, it's missing that true epic that all the other albums have - and all of their epics are awesome (that's one of reasons I love Grand Tour so much, 3 awesome songs about 14 mins each). But with that said, I find myself going back to Welcome to the World quite frequently (I love every song).
Question on the lyrics for the title track - does anyone know what this is about? Why is Auntie Carly telling the children she never made to grow their hair very long and that she hopes they don't get abducted? LOL. Seems pretty strange to me.
Here is what Carly Bryant had to say about it:
I wrote this song jet lagged in the middle of the night playing a grand piano with the Una Corda pedal on so as not to wake anybody. It was one of those songs that ‘wrote itself’ in one sitting. At the time I found the political situation unfathomable. I had also got locked into some optimistic (not) late night reading about extreme weather patterns, global warming and overpopulation. My close friend sent me a photo from hospital moments before I went to the piano: she had just given birth. In that way that the night time has, I felt full of worry. What does it mean to be born now? What would I say to this child….welcome to the planet? It sounded semi sarcastic and as a fan of dark humour, Cohen Brothers especially, I liked it. The image of a dystopian planet grew in my mind. The memory of starting school, and that terrifying paradox of being told to not talk to strangers but also not to be afraid came back to me. But I wanted the song to be positive and reassuring, ‘Grow your hair long, babe, you can’t go wrong’, is a T-Rex reference (every good song needs one?!): “be peaceful with your fellows”. The big chorus of voices are supposed to be the ‘goodies’ among us, appearing in the rivers and emerging from the trees…hidden voices under stones and on the clouds making newborns feel welcome and hopefully comforted..
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/welcome-to-the-planet/
She also talks about it here:
https://youtu.be/LMvrStmSJRU?t=464
Thanks for the info. It kinda makes sense what she's saying, but still strange choices if you ask me.
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I think it feels like Welcome to the Planet was a 2021 release since half of the album was made available that year. I don't think 2024 is too far away for a new album, but I'm kind of surprised that they aren't going to push to get it out before the next tour starts. I'm sure it was hard to get everyone's schedules to line up though, and May was probably just the earliest they could get everyone together.
Something that Albreto made clear in that video that I didn't quite realize was that what has been released for Last Eleven so far is essentially the original demo that he recorded vocals for during his audition. I think there must be some added parts because I think Oskar actually played some keys on it as well. But it sounds really good for a "demo." He joked that some of the demos guys are sending back and forth for the new album are really good, maybe too good, as if they are putting too much time into them or something.
I think you're right about this. Some of those songs were available long before the album was released. While I love Welcome to The World, it's missing that true epic that all the other albums have - and all of their epics are awesome (that's one of reasons I love Grand Tour so much, 3 awesome songs about 14 mins each). But with that said, I find myself going back to Welcome to the World quite frequently (I love every song).
Question on the lyrics for the title track - does anyone know what this is about? Why is Auntie Carly telling the children she never made to grow their hair very long and that she hopes they don't get abducted? LOL. Seems pretty strange to me.
You mean "Welcome To The Planet", right? ;)
As for the lyrics, you can see what Carly has to say about the song on the WTTP microsite (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/discography/welcome-to-the-planet/).
-Marc.
Yes LOL. Was just listening to NMB The Great Adventure, and had Welcome to the World on my mind LOL
Hah! That's amazing, and I don't blame ya, considering how good that album is as well!
-Marc.
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I kept thinking that Loreley was already available on video, but it turns out that I was thinking of the 2-part YouTube footage from Loreley 2018. That's actually the footage that sold me on Big Big Train in the first place. It's pretty good for fan-shot video; some regrettable flubs, but overall pretty good footage, and the sound is great, which obviously is the most important thing. In fact, part of what I really love about it is how "unprofessional" it is sometimes. The band can be in the middle of an intense jam, and because of the camera angle we can see people walking around the venue in the background. That kind of thing. It would be distracting, but instead it's just amusing.
But anyway, pro-shot video of that same show would be awesome.
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I've seen that audience-shot video of the Loreley show, but it'll be great to have a professionally produce one.
Also I just realized that this month marks the 10th anniversary of English Electric Part One! Not sure how I missed that but I knew it was coming up and it came and went (September 3rd 2012 being its release date).
It was the band's newest album when I finally dove into them and what an album it is!
-Marc.
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Finally watched the Brave Captain vid. The mix really stood out to me. That got me back on them again as I was listening to BBT most of the day. Then I got sidetracked and went on a Rikard binge and listened to many of my favorite Beardfish and Gungfly tracks. Good music day.
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Finally watched the Brave Captain vid. The mix really stood out to me. That got me back on them again as I was listening to BBT most of the day. Then I got sidetracked and went on a Rikard binge and listened to many of my favorite Beardfish and Gungfly tracks. Good music day.
I've never heard Beardfish or Gungfly. Are they reminiscent of BBT or do they have a totally different sound/style?
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Finally watched the Brave Captain vid. The mix really stood out to me. That got me back on them again as I was listening to BBT most of the day. Then I got sidetracked and went on a Rikard binge and listened to many of my favorite Beardfish and Gungfly tracks. Good music day.
I've never heard Beardfish or Gungfly. Are they reminiscent of BBT or do they have a totally different sound/style?
Pretty different. Those two projects are more avant-garde, for lack of a better term, than BBT. I’m only familiar with a little bit of Beardfish, but I really like the Gungfly albums, especially the most recent (Alone Together). Some of the songs that Rikard composed for BBT do hint at his style a bit though. The closest things to Beardfish/Gungfly would be A Room With No View and the instrumental section of Meadhall in Winter. It’s hard to describe Rikard’s style. I heard someone put it as “he follows his muse,” which pretty much sums it up.
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"Love Is All" lyric video from the upcoming David Longdon solo album Door One.
https://youtu.be/UmKeMRj9Xm4
Very emotional and positive song. Hearing this posthumous album in a couple weeks is going to be quite surreal, and I know I'll be an emotional wreck upon listening to it.
-Marc.
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Finally watched the Brave Captain vid. The mix really stood out to me. That got me back on them again as I was listening to BBT most of the day. Then I got sidetracked and went on a Rikard binge and listened to many of my favorite Beardfish and Gungfly tracks. Good music day.
I've never heard Beardfish or Gungfly. Are they reminiscent of BBT or do they have a totally different sound/style?
Rikard has a very noticeable style and I would say it can be a bit more whimsical, I guess. There tends to be humor in many Beardfish songs and certain sounds that, to me, are pure Rikard.
Also, both Beardfish and Gungfly progress in their sound. Early Gungfly sounds nothing like his last 2 albums, in my opinion. Friendship was my album of the year. Amazing record. The last 2 Gungfly albums sound the most like Beardfish as the earlier ones really do not. Beardfish got a bit heavier starting with the Destined Solitaire record, which is actually my favorite. Although, I would say my favorite song is on the next album, Mammoth. It is called And The Stone Said "If I Could Speak". Bit of a silly title but actually a deep song with a very cool story. The Void was a bit of a miss and they came back strong on their final album. If you are looking for pure prog, everything before Destined Solitaire would qualify. The newer albums are still prog but tend to be a bit heavier at times.
This is the best I could come up with. I would say they are well worth checking out. You can't go wrong.
For Beardfish, people would probably say start with The Sane Day and the Sleeping In Traffic albums. The later albums are all good as well.
For Gungfly, start with Friendship. It has become an all time favorite.
EDIT: Looks like HOF and I are on the same page regarding Rikard and his sound. It's unmistakable once you are familiar with him.
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Thanks guys, perhaps I'll check some stuff out this weekend!
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Bandwagon just announced that there has been a production delay for Summer Shall Not Fade, and it looks like that is going to delay the orders for those of us who ordered the combo of Summer Shall Note Fade and Door One. Door One is on time if you ordered it separately though. Sounds like they expect to get their shipment of Summer Shall Not Fade by 10/17, so hopefully it’s only delayed by about a week.
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Thanks guys, perhaps I'll check some stuff out this weekend!
I too have been meaning to check out some of Rikard's stuff. Thanks guys for all the info and recommendations.
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So for Passenger’s Club members, there is a download of Nick and Rikard’s rendition of Telling the Bees from the recent tour available now. Very cool performance, and another reason to sign up if you haven’t.
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I just got an e-mail from Burning Shed that says my CD/BluRay has been shipped :tup
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Listening to Door One for the first time. Beautiful but also hard to hear new music with David’s voice probably for the last time.
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My Door One order is hung up due to the delays with Summer Shall Not Fade. I’ll probably hold out for the CD instead of streaming it.
A new website dedicated to David Longdon has also been launched today. Features some memories of David from various people, info about his music, and some unreleased material.
https://davidlongdon.net/home/
Of note, there are plans to re-release his first solo album Wild River in the near future.
Various demos and unreleased tracks here. I’m loving The Hieroglyphics of Love (which apparently got him the Genesis audition)!
https://davidlongdon.net/demos-and-unreleased-songs/
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I'm being impatient, and, as I'm also on a trip this weekend and won't be home til Sunday anyway, so I downloaded the mp3 of the album off Amazon. Almost wrapped up my first listen and WOW what a powerful and beautiful album. There's a big sense of melancholy and love all over this album. It'll be a hard one to revisit but worth doing so.
I'll probably try to spin this one throughout the weekend when I can, it's just so good.
-Marc.
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Two full listens done, The Singer And The Song is the highlight so far.
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Heads up for anyone who doesn't have the Dyble Longdon CD, Bandwagon has it discounted to $5 (and only has a limited number of copies left):
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/dyble-longdon/products/dyble-longdon-between-a-breath-and-a-breath-cd
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Got my shipping confirmation email and tracking for my SSNF & DO Bundle order! Cannot wait to watch the Loreley show!
-Marc.
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Got my shipping confirmation email and tracking for my SSNF & DO Bundle order! Cannot wait to watch the Loreley show!
-Marc.
Same here, although it just tells me the label was created. Shipping from Ohio so shouldn't take too long to get to Illinois.
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Same. Hoping to have mine by the end of the week.
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I will either have these today or tomorrow. As of 4am today it was 35-40 minutes away. Thing is, my mail is usually here by 10am so I am hoping it gets to my post office on time, otherwise I will definitely have it tomorrow.
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I will either have these today or tomorrow. As of 4am today it was 35-40 minutes away. Thing is, my mail is usually here by 10am so I am hoping it gets to my post office on time, otherwise I will definitely have it tomorrow.
Best of luck! My package updated today from being delivered on Monday to today! Sadly I'll be at work while it's delivered but it'll be a nice surprise to come home to, and I'll have all weekend to watch the Loreley concert as well!
-Marc.
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My copy has just arrived! I'll be watching the BluRay tonight.
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Just finished my first few listens to Door One. Need a little more time to form an impression, but I will say “side 2” was quite moving.
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Won't get mine until tomorrow. It left the distribution center about the time my mail was delivered.
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On my first run through of Summer Shall Not Fade. My goodness, Summer’s Lease was astounding. Wet eyes here.
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Watching the Blu. I mentioned this before, but I love how they mixed Greg on this. Some nice loud, clear bass.
Also, is it just my copy, or does Danny and Robin's fingers sometimes go out of phase with the space time continuum when they are playing? Guessing it is a light and camera thing but it is a little weird. Otherwise, all good so far. Kingmaker just started.
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Watching the Blu. I mentioned this before, but I love how they mixed Greg on this. Some nice loud, clear bass.
Also, is it just my copy, or does Danny and Robin's fingers sometimes go out of phase with the space time continuum when they are playing? Guessing it is a light and camera thing but it is a little weird. Otherwise, all good so far. Kingmaker just started.
I noticed the finger thing too. Wasn’t sure if it was an effect or what. There also seems to be some sound issues on Transit of Venus and The Permanent Wave. The volume seems to come and go a bit, but I only noticed it on those two tracks. There’s also a lot of LED blue light washing out the picture at times. I know they didn’t really plan ahead of time for filming, so that’s to be expected. They had similar issues on Reflectors of Light. The shots at the beginning of the set when it was still twilight were really gorgeous though.
And yes, Greg sounds great on this. He really is a remarkable bassist. He’s not flashy but he just has a great melodic sensibility that can really bring a song to life.
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Watched the BD earlier tonight and loved it. I think I did notice some odd visual and audio things but it didn't bother me all the much. I was just trying not to be overly emotional watching the whole thing, especially with so much focus on David. I'm glad we finally have this documentation of their 2018 shows, and now there exists audio and video or each of their stint of shows from 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
I don't even mind that there is a lot of overlap between all of these live shows. Do I need four live versions of "Wassail" and "East Coast Racer"? Probably not, but I'll gladly enjoy every minute of them!
-Marc.
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What a great BluRay this is.
And it only took me until now to realise that it's Nick who's singing the "Bring word of your engines and designs" in Mead Hall - I've always somehow thought it was Rikard.
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What a great BluRay this is.
And it only took me until now to realise that it's Nick who's singing the "Bring word of your engines and designs" in Mead Hall - I've always somehow thought it was Rikard.
:lol
You need to get on that Beardfish and Gungfly discovery so you can get used to Rikard's voice.
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Oh yeah. I forgot about that discovery :P
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One of the things that stood out (or more was reinforced) from this concert is just how great all of the vocalists in the band at that time were (David, Nick, Rikard, and Rachel). Not only are they all strong singers, they blended really well and really did make for some wonderful harmonies.
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The backing vocals stuck out to me as well. I was thinking how good NDV and Rikard sounded together and then Rachel when she joined in as well. Thankfully, NDV and Rikard are still around so that dynamic should stay nice and stable.
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One of the things that stood out (or more was reinforced) from this concert is just how great all of the vocalists in the band at that time were (David, Nick, Rikard, and Rachel). Not only are they all strong singers, they blended really well and really did make for some wonderful harmonies.
The backing vocals stuck out to me as well. I was thinking how good NDV and Rikard sounded together and then Rachel when she joined in as well. Thankfully, NDV and Rikard are still around so that dynamic should stay nice and stable.
Agreed - the vocal mix on this live album is superb, probably some of their best from the live stage. Having watched the BD once and listened to the CDs a couple of times, I can tell there is a bit of a difference between the two. The CDs sound a bit crisper, IMO, and everything feels mixed well with having a stereo CD mix in mind. They also excluded most of the between-song chatter from David, so the CDs get right to the music (which I prefer, though I know some folks like having all the chatter and banter between songs).
I guess this and Door One will be the last things we'll get with David Longdon, unless there are more un-earthed demos he wrote for his own solo work, or for BBT, which, if found, will hopefully be uploaded to the Passengers Club!
-Marc.
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One of the things that stood out (or more was reinforced) from this concert is just how great all of the vocalists in the band at that time were (David, Nick, Rikard, and Rachel). Not only are they all strong singers, they blended really well and really did make for some wonderful harmonies.
The backing vocals stuck out to me as well. I was thinking how good NDV and Rikard sounded together and then Rachel when she joined in as well. Thankfully, NDV and Rikard are still around so that dynamic should stay nice and stable.
Agreed - the vocal mix on this live album is superb, probably some of their best from the live stage. Having watched the BD once and listened to the CDs a couple of times, I can tell there is a bit of a difference between the two. The CDs sound a bit crisper, IMO, and everything feels mixed well with having a stereo CD mix in mind. They also excluded most of the between-song chatter from David, so the CDs get right to the music (which I prefer, though I know some folks like having all the chatter and banter between songs).
I guess this and Door One will be the last things we'll get with David Longdon, unless there are more un-earthed demos he wrote for his own solo work, or for BBT, which, if found, will hopefully be uploaded to the Passengers Club!
-Marc.
I think there may be quite a bit of unreleased DL-related music between his solo stuff, The Gifthorse, and any bits for BBT that haven’t been put out yet (I know there are still some Hope demos yet to come). Plus they plan to re-issue his first solo album Wild River in the near future.
Have you checked out the unreleased stuff on the new David Longdon website? It makes me wonder if there is enough music by The Gifthorse for some sort of official release.
https://davidlongdon.net/demos-and-unreleased-songs/
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I became a subscribed Passenger yesterday, I'm checking out some videos and stuff now.
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I became a subscribed Passenger yesterday, I'm checking out some videos and stuff now.
:tup
There’s a lot to check out!
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New video for an extra David Longdon track from the Door One sessions, The Treachery of Memory.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/previously-unheard-david-longdon-song-released?fbclid=IwAR1wvWGIM2SKLlBHOrv8pCQK_e7NLtlFxFl-BEs5UpQ_KU0fxpT5GKtrAEM
It’s too bad he left this off the album as it’s really lovely and I think the album could have benefited from a little more subject matter variety.
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New video for an extra David Longdon track from the Door One sessions, The Treachery of Memory.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/previously-unheard-david-longdon-song-released?fbclid=IwAR1wvWGIM2SKLlBHOrv8pCQK_e7NLtlFxFl-BEs5UpQ_KU0fxpT5GKtrAEM
It’s too bad he left this off the album as it’s really lovely and I think the album could have benefited from a little more subject matter variety.
I've had the Belle Antique/Japanese release of Door One for about a week and a half and it includes "The Treachery Of Memory" as the penultimate track. It is a really beautiful song and I'm surprised they decided to make a video for it and release afterwards. Either way, I'm glad everyone can hear it now and not be forced to import the Japanese edition (though I was going to anyways).
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/313934659_10103212722989551_6068519614342897040_n.jpg?stp=cp0_dst-jpg_e15_fr_q65&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=dd9801&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=Wq71D7INwh0AX9XjvgZ&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBWCin-gy-nZn0DCXsWUi8SYEKA8kICCN7Ik-o4SUe2ug&oe=63725DDD)
My collection of BBT/related albums on the English Electric Records label, plus six Belle Antique releases. Hard to believe how far this band has come and how amazingly consistent their output has been. When I became a fan ten years ago, I had no idea how deep my love for them would become, but here we are ten years later and my collection has grown from 7 to 35 and growing.
-Marc.
-
Kingmaker Management just posted in the BBT Facebook group:
Big Big News Coming Very Soon.
I can only imagine it's new album information, possibly a release date? Or maybe more live show dates for 2023? If they announce some NA Shows, I'm breaking into my savings account to go.
-Marc.
-
Kingmaker Management just posted in the BBT Facebook group:
Big Big News Coming Very Soon.
I can only imagine it's new album information, possibly a release date? Or maybe more live show dates for 2023? If they announce some NA Shows, I'm breaking into my savings account to go.
-Marc.
I’d guess it’s tour related since we know they’ve been working on dates and we also know they have dates for starting recording for the new album next May.
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
Hmm makes sense, and they'll probably announce further 2024 dates surrounding the Cruise if they're a part of that as well.
-Marc.
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
I'm a genius :hat
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
I'm a genius :hat
Good call! :lol I'm hoping they eventually announce some shows along the East Coast (let's go DC!) so I don't have to travel too far, but if it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I may save up to travel further for them.
This also cements NDV's appearance on the Cruise, which means he, Neal Morse, and Ross Jennings will be there. I wonder if they'll be playing any of their DMJ music from Troika (or the upcoming album they've been working on).
-Marc.
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
I'm a genius :hat
Good call! :lol I'm hoping they eventually announce some shows along the East Coast (let's go DC!) so I don't have to travel too far, but if it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I may save up to travel further for them.
This also cements NDV's appearance on the Cruise, which means he, Neal Morse, and Ross Jennings will be there. I wonder if they'll be playing any of their DMJ music from Troika (or the upcoming album they've been working on).
-Marc.
I hope so. They were all on the cruise this year too and I was waiting for that to happen but it never quite materialized.
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
I'm a genius :hat
Good call! :lol I'm hoping they eventually announce some shows along the East Coast (let's go DC!) so I don't have to travel too far, but if it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I may save up to travel further for them.
You can just use an...
East Coast Racer.
-
They're announcing Cruise to the Edge bands today and Alberto's old band PFM is already confirmed, maybe they're lined up as well?
I'm a genius :hat
Good call! :lol I'm hoping they eventually announce some shows along the East Coast (let's go DC!) so I don't have to travel too far, but if it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I may save up to travel further for them.
You can just use an...
East Coast Racer.
Hah! :lol
As an important note, while I began this thread on Nov. 2nd, 2012, it was on THIS day ten years ago that I ordered the 6-CD TERA Bundle from BBT's website, as well as the recently released English Electric (Part One). The bundle included their remastered releases of Goodbye To The Age Of Steam, English Boy Wonders, Gathering Speed, and The Difference Machine, as well as their most recent releases of The Underfall Yard and Far Skies Deep Time. It cost me $76.45 for all seven albums back then (roughly $104.48 via Inflation Calculator, though getting those albums now would probably cost a LOT more on the secondary market), which was a STEAL for what I was getting back then at about $10.92 per album. It was the beginning of a long journey that continues to today, and while bands like Rush and Dream Theater are evergreen favorites, BBT fastly grew to become my favorite band of the last ten years, and I look forward to the next ten. I'm sad I never got to see them live with David up front, but I am forever grateful and thankful that the band have chosen to continue onward with Alberto, and I hope that they can come to the US so that I may still have a chance to see them live!
-Marc.
-
I like to rank things, and right now these are my 10 favourite BBT songs. I haven't heard all of their stuff yet though.
Hedgerow (has overtaken JU as my #1)
Judas Unrepentant
The First Rebreather
Lost Rivers Of London
Swan Hunter
Folklore
Alive
The Strangest Times
Made From Sunshine
Lanterna
Well, my Top 10 would look so much different now that I've listened to them a lot over the course of this year :lol
Hedgerow is still my #1 though.
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I like to rank things, and right now these are my 10 favourite BBT songs. I haven't heard all of their stuff yet though.
Hedgerow (has overtaken JU as my #1)
Judas Unrepentant
The First Rebreather
Lost Rivers Of London
Swan Hunter
Folklore
Alive
The Strangest Times
Made From Sunshine
Lanterna
Well, my Top 10 would look so much different now that I've listened to them a lot over the course of this year :lol
Hedgerow is still my #1 though.
I'm in the same boat - meaning I've been listening to BBT A LOT this past year, way more than any other band. It might be time for me to post a top 10 BBT songs list. I think I'll work on that. Looking at your original list, Laterna caught my eye. That's a great tune that I don't hear much about. A hidden little gem on Welcome to the Planet if you will,,
-
Today it's been one year since we lost David. I'll be spending the rest of the day listening to some BBT, and his solo album.
-
Today it's been one year since we lost David. I'll be spending the rest of the day listening to some BBT, and his solo album.
Hard to believe it’s been a year.
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
Just watched this and I agree, absolutely stunning. Looking at Setlist.fm, they did only play it at their 2 England gigs and not at De Boederij, but this performance is from the pre-show soundtrack. I guess they decided not to include it in the show for one reason or another. I'm glad they at least filmed this performance of it and released it!
-Marc.
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
That was awesome! Yes the pedals at the end and Claire's solo - and great performance by Alberto!
-
I've never heard that song before, so that was a nice surprise.
-
It's a bit strange that this group of musicians is now called Big Big Train, but the band remains what it always was - a big big train in which everyone is a passenger.
Still it's strange to see this video of the band - without Rachel Hall, Danny Manners and Dave Gregory. And without David Longdon. They still sound great though and confidently bring this elegiac Spawton composition across the stage. I'm particularly impressed by Dave Foster on the two-necked Music Man.
Of course, Alberto Bravin does his job very well; very different from Longdon, more modern, maybe more conventional. But this recording shows that as a newcomer to this position that is so difficult to fill, he deserves at least one fair chance. At least he's not lacking in range and ability.
I'm excited what else he has to offer on upcoming recordings!
-
I've never heard that song before, so that was a nice surprise.
Oh, that’s definitely one you need to check out then. It’s off the 2-song Merry Christmas single from a few years back. Really powerful song and one of my favorites.
-
Wow, that was a nice song. Also my first look at the new lineup. I have the new album, but I've never seen them on video.
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
Just a heads up that the audio of this is now available to stream/download from Amazon (and other streaming sites I imagine. Surprisingly not on Bandcamp though).
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
Just a heads up that the audio of this is now available to stream/download from Amazon (and other streaming sites I imagine. Surprisingly not on Bandcamp though).
Funny, I was trying to see if their Bandcamp had it after watching it. Hoping they eventually add it.
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
Just a heads up that the audio of this is now available to stream/download from Amazon (and other streaming sites I imagine. Surprisingly not on Bandcamp though).
Funny, I was trying to see if their Bandcamp had it after watching it. Hoping they eventually add it.
Greg has mentioned on FB that it'll be up on Bandcamp "at the weekend", so expect it in a day or two.
-Marc.
-
Snowfalls gave me a bit of a breakdown. I'm not gonna lie. I mentioned on another thread about the night my sister died last year and how it snowed over her cul de sac as her way to say goodbye to her kids and family that night - when nowhere else around town was there any snow. A beautiful but painful memory.
It's all good though. Happy tears. I miss her. I miss David too. But life goes on and we have the music and the memories. :heart
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Snowfalls gave me a bit of a breakdown. I'm not gonna lie. I mentioned on another thread about the night my sister died last year and how it snowed over her cul de sac as her way to say goodbye to her kids and family that night - when nowhere else around town was there any snow. A beautiful but painful memory.
It's all good though. Happy tears. I miss her. I miss David too. But life goes on and we have the music and the memories. :heart
:heart
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BBT has had so many emotionally moving and poignant songs, but ever since David's passing, there has been a bit of melancholy over their music with him that I feel every time I put on any BBT between 09-22. I've been spinning my Christmastime/Holiday/Winter compilation of BBT music this month and it just moves me every time.
Merry Christmas
Snowfalls
Meadowland
British Racing Green
Expecting Snow
Proper Jack Froster
Wassail
The Second Brightest Star
Don't Forget The Telescope
A Mead Hall In Winter
Brew And Burgh
...and that last one gets to me every time.
"Good friends are made and sometimes lost
A fellowship can fall to dust
But brothers, sisters found at last
Guide me from a wilderness"
This verse just hits different since David's passing, and I feel like the BBT Community of Passengers has gotten closer since then, so this lyric fits so well with that.
-Marc.
-
New single/live video of Snowfalls from Zoetermeer. Absolutely tremendous!
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-share-live-video-for-new-seasonal-single-snowfalls
For some reason I thought they only played this during their warm up gig, but I’m so glad we got footage of this as it is definitely one of my favorite BBT songs. The pedals at the end!!!
Just a heads up that the audio of this is now available to stream/download from Amazon (and other streaming sites I imagine. Surprisingly not on Bandcamp though).
Funny, I was trying to see if their Bandcamp had it after watching it. Hoping they eventually add it.
Greg has mentioned on FB that it'll be up on Bandcamp "at the weekend", so expect it in a day or two.
-Marc.
And Bandcamp alerted me to a new release on the BBT page. I'll be buying today.
-
It's on iTunes as well picked it up the other day. It sounds great in my car lol
-
Just wanted to say that BBT has easily been my most listened to band this year. I discovered them quite late last year (around the time of David's passing), and I've just been playing the albums quite a lot this year. Mainly the ones from 2009-2017, the last three hasn't really been up to par with those earlier stuff IMHO. That said, it will be very interesting what the future holds with this new lineup and singer. Last Eleven is a good indication of that.
-
Just wanted to say that BBT has easily been my most listened to band this year. I discovered them quite late last year (around the time of David's passing), and I've just been playing the albums quite a lot this year. Mainly the ones from 2009-2017, the last three hasn't really been up to par with those earlier stuff IMHO. That said, it will be very interesting what the future holds with this new lineup and singer. Last Eleven is a good indication of that.
:tup :tup :tup
I agree that the run from The Underfall Yard through Grimspound is hard to top. I do really enjoy the last two albums though, and I think Grand Tour is kind of a sneaky good album. Basically there isn’t a bad album from these guys. And Last Eleven is really promising for what’s coming next. Can’t wait to see what they come up with.
-
Just wanted to say that BBT has easily been my most listened to band this year. I discovered them quite late last year (around the time of David's passing), and I've just been playing the albums quite a lot this year. Mainly the ones from 2009-2017, the last three hasn't really been up to par with those earlier stuff IMHO. That said, it will be very interesting what the future holds with this new lineup and singer. Last Eleven is a good indication of that.
:tup :tup :tup
I agree that the run from The Underfall Yard through Grimspound is hard to top. I do really enjoy the last two albums though, and I think Grand Tour is kind of a sneaky good album. Basically there isn’t a bad album from these guys. And Last Eleven is really promising for what’s coming next. Can’t wait to see what they come up with.
Agreed, the run from 09-22 is absolutely stellar, and unrivaled, for me, for many bands' album runs that last that long - 9 studio albums, several EPs (one nearly album-length), four live albums, and a couple of compilations. Just stunning music all about. I think at a certain point in time, I kind of overplayed the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS material for myself, so since Grand Tour, I've been indulging in their last three albums more, which feel like an era upon themselves. There's the TUY/FSDT era (you could also probably throw in TDM as well), the English Electric era (Parts I and II, the Make Some Noise EP and the Full Power compilation), the aforementioned F/G/TSBS era, and the GT/CG/WTTP era. Each chunk contains a certain stylistic approach to the songwriting and the lyrical content that has seen the band evolve their sound. If "Last Eleven" is a sign of things to come, I continue to be excited about whatever direction(s) the band will travel.
-Marc.
-
Just wanted to say that BBT has easily been my most listened to band this year. I discovered them quite late last year (around the time of David's passing), and I've just been playing the albums quite a lot this year. Mainly the ones from 2009-2017, the last three hasn't really been up to par with those earlier stuff IMHO. That said, it will be very interesting what the future holds with this new lineup and singer. Last Eleven is a good indication of that.
:tup :tup :tup
I agree that the run from The Underfall Yard through Grimspound is hard to top. I do really enjoy the last two albums though, and I think Grand Tour is kind of a sneaky good album. Basically there isn’t a bad album from these guys. And Last Eleven is really promising for what’s coming next. Can’t wait to see what they come up with.
Agreed, the run from 09-22 is absolutely stellar, and unrivaled, for me, for many bands' album runs that last that long - 9 studio albums, several EPs (one nearly album-length), four live albums, and a couple of compilations. Just stunning music all about. I think at a certain point in time, I kind of overplayed the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS material for myself, so since Grand Tour, I've been indulging in their last three albums more, which feel like an era upon themselves. There's the TUY/FSDT era (you could also probably throw in TDM as well), the English Electric era (Parts I and II, the Make Some Noise EP and the Full Power compilation), the aforementioned F/G/TSBS era, and the GT/CG/WTTP era. Each chunk contains a certain stylistic approach to the songwriting and the lyrical content that has seen the band evolve their sound. If "Last Eleven" is a sign of things to come, I continue to be excited about whatever direction(s) the band will travel.
-Marc.
I agree with all of you guys and Zydar I'm right there with you - I discovered them in the summer of 2021 and easily my most listened to band and they've become my third favorite band of all time (only behind Rush and Dream Theater).
I love all of their albums from TUY til present, and I'll agree with HOF that Grand Tour is up there with the best of them. I really like Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet as well. I've mentioned this before but WTTP is missing that epic that all their other albums have, and that knocks it down a notch for me. Common Ground has Atlantic Cable, which is amazing. If Welcome to the Planet had an epic of that caliber, I think it'd be right up there with the rest. But still like Letter M said, 9 albums of this caliber is just unheard of. Amazing band and can't wait for some new music with Alberto.
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Count me as another passenger that is new to the train based mainly on David's untimely death. My primary focus has been on the run of A Stone's Throw through Merchants Of Light.
Due to my obsession with that run I have not paid as much attention as I probably should to the other stuff. I've probably only listened to Grand Tour twice, same with Common Ground. I still don't think I have actually given a listen to Welcome To The World yet. I have everything from The Difference Machine onward so I will eventually get back to some of that other stuff. Stone's Throw and Folklore have gotten the most listens by a longshot.
I'm loving what I am hearing out of Alberto so I am looking forward to what's to come. Snowfalls was just excellent with him so I am excited.
-
Count me as another passenger that is new to the train based mainly on David's untimely death. My primary focus has been on the run of A Stone's Throw through Merchants Of Light.
Due to my obsession with that run I have not paid as much attention as I probably should to the other stuff. I've probably only listened to Grand Tour twice, same with Common Ground. I still don't think I have actually given a listen to Welcome To The World yet. I have everything from The Difference Machine onward so I will eventually get back to some of that other stuff. Stone's Throw and Folklore have gotten the most listens by a longshot.
I'm loving what I am hearing out of Alberto so I am looking forward to what's to come. Snowfalls was just excellent with him so I am excited.
I can tell you haven't listened to their latest album yet since it's titled Welcome To The Planet. :lol
You definitely need to get deeper into the English Electric material more. The Full Power compilation is honestly one of my favorite albums of the 2010s. If I had to pick one double album from the 2010s to listen to for the rest of my life, it might be EEFP.
-Marc.
-
English Electric: Full Power is a near flawless album. Listening to it recently, the only thing I found I really don't like is the long instrumental section of Keeper of Abbeys. It goes on too long and goes nowhere. The first half of the song is great, but it would been better as a more concise 3.5 - 4 minute song.
-
English Electric: Full Power is a near flawless album. Listening to it recently, the only thing I found I really don't like is the long instrumental section of Keeper of Abbeys. It goes on too long and goes nowhere. The first half of the song is great, but it would been better as a more concise 3.5 - 4 minute song.
What’s funny is there is an edited version of Keeper of Abbeys (the “Branch Line edition” that appeared on the Make Some Noise EP) that is over a minute shorter but the solo is the same. I think it’s a great solo personally (Dave Gregory is amazing!). It doesn’t really need to go anywhere since it’s just an extended outro. One of those solos that if it was faded out much earlier some people would say “why did they fade it so soon!” ;-)
-
English Electric: Full Power is a near flawless album. Listening to it recently, the only thing I found I really don't like is the long instrumental section of Keeper of Abbeys. It goes on too long and goes nowhere. The first half of the song is great, but it would been better as a more concise 3.5 - 4 minute song.
What’s funny is there is an edited version of Keeper of Abbeys (the “Branch Line edition” that appeared on the Make Some Noise EP) that is over a minute shorter but the solo is the same. I think it’s a great solo personally (Dave Gregory is amazing!). It doesn’t really need to go anywhere since it’s just an extended outro. One of those solos that if it was faded out much earlier some people would say “why did they fade it so soon!” ;-)
I like Keeper of the Abbeys just the way it is thank you. EEFP is a top 5 all-time album from anybody for me. 19 perfect songs as far as I'm concerned. And while I consider it their best and crowning achievement - everything they've released since has been amazingly consistent in terms of the quality of songwriting and musicianship. Just an incredible band and I'm thankful for you guys for helping me discover them!
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Count me as another passenger that is new to the train based mainly on David's untimely death. My primary focus has been on the run of A Stone's Throw through Merchants Of Light.
Due to my obsession with that run I have not paid as much attention as I probably should to the other stuff. I've probably only listened to Grand Tour twice, same with Common Ground. I still don't think I have actually given a listen to Welcome To The World yet. I have everything from The Difference Machine onward so I will eventually get back to some of that other stuff. Stone's Throw and Folklore have gotten the most listens by a longshot.
I'm loving what I am hearing out of Alberto so I am looking forward to what's to come. Snowfalls was just excellent with him so I am excited.
I can tell you haven't listened to their latest album yet since it's titled Welcome To The Planet. :lol
You definitely need to get deeper into the English Electric material more. The Full Power compilation is honestly one of my favorite albums of the 2010s. If I had to pick one double album from the 2010s to listen to for the rest of my life, it might be EEFP.
-Marc.
:facepalm:
I was even trying to make sure I got the name right. Instead, I named one of my all time favorite albums by Psycho Motel.
Oh well, I feel this is a great time to point out one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written:
Beardfish - ...And Terry Takes The Christmas Route
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nnZ-k2UY2o
Rikard is just awesome.
-
Today's Passenger Club update is "East Coast Racer" from Thronden Hall last summer, with the most recent touring line-up. I've been at work so I haven't had time to watch it yet, but I'm excited to watch it!
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/P0fUJvy3U5Y
Big Big Train - Ingenious Devices Teaser
Seems like new music is on the way sooner than I thought!
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/P0fUJvy3U5Y
Big Big Train - Ingenious Devices Teaser
Seems like new music is on the way sooner than I thought!
-Marc.
Nice! They mentioned this release in Between the Lines. These were the same string sessions that they did for Voyager. According to the book, they tracked strings for a new arrangement of East Coast Racer and Brooklands. I’m not sure what all else they plan to include but hopefully there is some new music as well!
-
https://youtu.be/P0fUJvy3U5Y
Big Big Train - Ingenious Devices Teaser
Seems like new music is on the way sooner than I thought!
-Marc.
Nice! They mentioned this release in Between the Lines. These were the same string sessions that they did for Voyager. According to the book, they tracked strings for a new arrangement of East Coast Racer and Brooklands. I’m not sure what all else they plan to include but hopefully there is some new music as well!
Interesting, since those three songs (Voyager, Brooklands, and East Coast Racer), were said to be part of the "Man & Machine" trilogy, I think by Greg. They all relate to machines made by man and all ended up being epics on their respective albums. It would be neat to see them all tied together for a re-done compilation of sorts, with new arrangements, and perhaps with Alberto singing/the current band performing new parts. I guess we will have to wait and see what it could be!
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/P0fUJvy3U5Y
Big Big Train - Ingenious Devices Teaser
Seems like new music is on the way sooner than I thought!
-Marc.
Nice! They mentioned this release in Between the Lines. These were the same string sessions that they did for Voyager. According to the book, they tracked strings for a new arrangement of East Coast Racer and Brooklands. I’m not sure what all else they plan to include but hopefully there is some new music as well!
Interesting, since those three songs (Voyager, Brooklands, and East Coast Racer), were said to be part of the "Man & Machine" trilogy, I think by Greg. They all relate to machines made by man and all ended up being epics on their respective albums. It would be neat to see them all tied together for a re-done compilation of sorts, with new arrangements, and perhaps with Alberto singing/the current band performing new parts. I guess we will have to wait and see what it could be!
-Marc.
Oh, that would make sense. I hadn’t put that together, but he definitely has talked about those three being part of a trilogy.
-
BIG BIG TRAIN ANNOUNCEMENT – CARLY BRYANT LEAVES & OSKAR HOLLDORFF JOINS BBT
After careful consideration, Carly Bryant has decided to leave Big Big Train.
Carly says: “Leaving Big Big Train has been a very difficult decision. My family commitments meant I was unable to join the band on stage for last autumn’s shows. Looking ahead for the next couple of years, those commitments will continue to make it very challenging for me to be away from home for any prolonged period. As BBT have significant touring plans for 2023 and 2024, I’ve concluded that it’s best for me and for the band that I now step away as I don’t want to be forever having to say no. Having seen him play so brilliantly at the band’s Aylesbury show last September, I know that Oskar will do a fantastic job going forwards. I have loved my time in BBT; they are the best band, have the best team around them and the best fans!”
Oskar comments: “I enjoyed every minute of Big Big Train’s shows last September deputising for Carly and am delighted to be stepping into the band on a permanent basis going forwards. BBT’s plans for this year and beyond are very exciting and it’s an honour to follow Carly in the keyboards role and play alongside Rikard Sjöblom and the rest of this fantastic band. I will also be continuing to play in Dim Gray, so I’m looking forward to being super busy for the foreseeable future.”
Gregory Spawton adds: “We’re hugely grateful to Carly for her contributions to Big Big Train’s last two studio albums, Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet. While Carly is saying goodbye to Big Big Train, she is in the early stages of making her next solo album. BBT’s English Electric Recordings label will be releasing the album, so we will remain closely in contact with her. Oskar performed brilliantly on stage with BBT last September. I have been working with him on new material in the last few weeks and I know that he will make a great contribution to the band going forwards both live and in the studio.”
Look out for plenty of further BBT news in the coming weeks.
-
Not the BBT news I wanted to hear, but life moves on. I wish Carly all the best and I look forward to hearing her solo album! I'm glad her connection with the band won't be completely severed.
As for Oskar, I guess performing on "Last Eleven" was more than just a one-off thing! Can't wait to hear what he can do one the next album!
With Oskar now fully in the band, they are so much more a multinational supergroup than ever! We've got Italy (Alberto), Sweden (Rikard), Norway (Oskar), USA (Nick), Scotland (Clare), and England (Dave and Greg). The evolution of BBT continues and I'm excited for it!
-Marc.
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Saw this news earlier this morning, but can’t copy and paste from FB on my phone for some reason.
Honestly, I had a premonition this was coming. Oskar seemed like such a great fit during the recent live shows. His voice goes well with Alberto’s, and he also brings some exciting compositional skills judging by Dim Gray’s latest (anyone who hasn’t checked that out really ought to). I may actually prefer his voice to Bravin’s. I think he’s an exciting addition to the band.
Carly will be missed though, and I was really excited to see where the band might have gone with her in it. But I think she may have complimented David better than Alberto. It’s cool that she’s staying with the label to release her solo album, and maybe there will still be opportunities for collaboration with the band or at least band members in the future.
-
Saw this news earlier this morning, but can’t copy and paste from FB on my phone for some reason.
Honestly, I had a premonition this was coming. Oskar seemed like such a great fit during the recent live shows. His voice goes well with Alberto’s, and he also brings some exciting compositional skills judging by Dim Gray’s latest (anyone who hasn’t checked that out really ought to). I may actually prefer his voice to Bravin’s. I think he’s an exciting addition to the band.
Carly will be missed though, and I was really excited to see where the band might have gone with her in it. But I think she may have complimented David better than Alberto. It’s cool that she’s staying with the label to release her solo album, and maybe there will still be opportunities for collaboration with the band or at least band members in the future.
I had a premonition this could happen as well. Especially with Oskar performing on Last Eleven.
-
https://youtu.be/gM4rmPS_2vI
Ingenious Devices brings together "East Coast Racer", "Brooklands", and "Voyager" with new strings and other additions, as well as a new piece "The Book Of Ingenious Devices" linking the first two. In addition to the three studio epics, a live version of "Atlantic Cable" from last year's tour with Alberto on vocals.
EDIT - Looks like the video was posted prematurely and the band doesn't plan to officially reveal it until next week. Whoops...
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/gM4rmPS_2vI
Ingenious Devices brings together "East Coast Racer", "Brooklands", and "Voyager" with new strings and other additions, as well as a new piece "The Book Of Ingenious Devices" linking the first two. In addition to the three studio epics, a live version of "Atlantic Cable" from last year's tour with Alberto on vocals.
EDIT - Looks like the video was posted prematurely and the band doesn't plan to officially reveal it until next week. Whoops...
-Marc.
Nice! Missed the video (it’s private now), but this sounds like a fun release. Now that think of it, Atlantic Cable was also meant to be in that same vein as the others I guess.
-
https://youtu.be/gM4rmPS_2vI
Ingenious Devices brings together "East Coast Racer", "Brooklands", and "Voyager" with new strings and other additions, as well as a new piece "The Book Of Ingenious Devices" linking the first two. In addition to the three studio epics, a live version of "Atlantic Cable" from last year's tour with Alberto on vocals.
EDIT - Looks like the video was posted prematurely and the band doesn't plan to officially reveal it until next week. Whoops...
-Marc.
Nice! Missed the video (it’s private now), but this sounds like a fun release. Now that think of it, Atlantic Cable was also meant to be in that same vein as the others I guess.
Sounds very exciting! These are literally some of my favorite songs of all-time by anyone!
-
https://youtu.be/gM4rmPS_2vI
Ingenious Devices brings together "East Coast Racer", "Brooklands", and "Voyager" with new strings and other additions, as well as a new piece "The Book Of Ingenious Devices" linking the first two. In addition to the three studio epics, a live version of "Atlantic Cable" from last year's tour with Alberto on vocals.
EDIT - Looks like the video was posted prematurely and the band doesn't plan to officially reveal it until next week. Whoops...
-Marc.
Nice! Missed the video (it’s private now), but this sounds like a fun release. Now that think of it, Atlantic Cable was also meant to be in that same vein as the others I guess.
Sounds very exciting! These are literally some of my favorite songs of all-time by anyone!
Same, these epics are some of the band's best songs and some of my favorites as well, and it'll be great to hear a live version of "Atlantic Cable" as well.
Since the video announcement was posted prematurely and the pre-order links to BurningShed and TheBandWagonUSA weren't live yet (I was told the delay in the official announcement was because BurningShed asked the band to hold off a week), I wonder if the version of "Brooklands" on this album will be the extended version with "On The Racing Line" (as seen on The Second Brightest Star, the "Brooklands Sequence" 17:33) of it it's just the version from Folklore (at 12:38). Either way, it's still very exciting to hear these tracks with new parts and added strings.
When most bands do this kind of stuff, it can feel like a cash-grab or a stop-gap between major releases, but with the care and polish that BBT put into each release, this feels like a genuine album, and to toss in new material AND a live track from last year makes it feel extra special. I suppose releasing this probably means we might not get a new studio album this year, and I'm fine with that. I'd love to see one of the 2022 shows released in full later this year, though. Hearing the band's line-up from last year would be a great primer for their first studio album together, especially now that we know last year's tour line-up IS the current studio line-up.
-Marc.
-
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
-
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
The blurb in the video description said that it is "a previously unreleased orchestral piece... which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands." Sounds like it'll be instrumental, and possibly all strings.
Other notes about the album include:
-All three songs feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London
-Longdon's vocals have been compiled from original album sessions
-ECR is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up in 2019
-Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals
-Voyager has additional guitar and violin
-All three songs have been remixed
-Marc.
-
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
The blurb in the video description said that it is "a previously unreleased orchestral piece... which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands." Sounds like it'll be instrumental, and possibly all strings.
Other notes about the album include:
-All three songs feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London
-Longdon's vocals have been compiled from original album sessions
-ECR is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up in 2019
-Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals
-Voyager has additional guitar and violin
-All three songs have been remixed
-Marc.
Very excited about this. Interesting that they completely re-recorded ECR.
And I love Atlantic Cable as well - so a live version with Alberto is very welcomed by me.
-
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
The blurb in the video description said that it is "a previously unreleased orchestral piece... which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands." Sounds like it'll be instrumental, and possibly all strings.
Other notes about the album include:
-All three songs feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London
-Longdon's vocals have been compiled from original album sessions
-ECR is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up in 2019
-Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals
-Voyager has additional guitar and violin
-All three songs have been remixed
-Marc.
Very excited about this. Interesting that they completely re-recorded ECR.
And I love Atlantic Cable as well - so a live version with Alberto is very welcomed by me.
I think it was mentioned somewhere before, but part of the reason for re-recording ECR might have been to include the alternate ending that they include when they play it live.
-
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
The blurb in the video description said that it is "a previously unreleased orchestral piece... which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands." Sounds like it'll be instrumental, and possibly all strings.
Other notes about the album include:
-All three songs feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London
-Longdon's vocals have been compiled from original album sessions
-ECR is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up in 2019
-Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals
-Voyager has additional guitar and violin
-All three songs have been remixed
-Marc.
Very excited about this. Interesting that they completely re-recorded ECR.
And I love Atlantic Cable as well - so a live version with Alberto is very welcomed by me.
I think it was mentioned somewhere before, but part of the reason for re-recording ECR might have been to include the alternate ending that they include when they play it live.
With the guitar solo?
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
-
So today's Passenger's Club update is a demo of the new arrangement of Summer's Lease that was played at Loreley. An interesting note from Greg accompanying the demo:
"Moving forward, we are looking to revisit some more early BBT songs and will be aiming to incorporate material from the whole history of the band into live shows."
Will be interesting to see how much they can include, but they'll maybe have sort of a rotating setlist like they did on this last tour. The Shipping Forecast would be great to hear done with the current band.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
The 2019 lineup is re-recording it or the current lineup? I'm missing something here.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
The 2019 lineup is re-recording it or the current lineup? I'm missing something here.
These recordings were done back in 2019 or 2020 before Grand Tour I believe. At least the string sessions were done back then, and I know the band had previously announced they were re-recording East Coast Racer in that timeframe. So the lineup is going to be the band that featured Dave Longdon, Dave Gregory, Danny Manners, and Rachel Hall.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
The 2019 lineup is re-recording it or the current lineup? I'm missing something here.
These recordings were done back in 2019 or 2020 before Grand Tour I believe. At least the string sessions were done back then, and I know the band had previously announced they were re-recording East Coast Racer in that timeframe. So the lineup is going to be the band that featured Dave Longdon, Dave Gregory, Danny Manners, and Rachel Hall.
As far as I know, this is correct. The version of "East Coast Racer" on the album "is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up of the band as it was in 2019.", word for word from the YouTube video description (I managed to screenshot it on my phone before it was privated). Of course, more will be revealed next week when it is officially unveiled by the band (and not accidentally uploaded on YouTube).
-Marc.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
The 2019 lineup is re-recording it or the current lineup? I'm missing something here.
These recordings were done back in 2019 or 2020 before Grand Tour I believe. At least the string sessions were done back then, and I know the band had previously announced they were re-recording East Coast Racer in that timeframe. So the lineup is going to be the band that featured Dave Longdon, Dave Gregory, Danny Manners, and Rachel Hall.
As far as I know, this is correct. The version of "East Coast Racer" on the album "is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up of the band as it was in 2019.", word for word from the YouTube video description (I managed to screenshot it on my phone before it was privated). Of course, more will be revealed next week when it is officially unveiled by the band (and not accidentally uploaded on YouTube).
-Marc.
Interesting. Well that is the best lineup of the band as far as I'm concerned. I'm curious if David Longdon re-recorded the vocal tracks as well.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
The 2019 lineup is re-recording it or the current lineup? I'm missing something here.
These recordings were done back in 2019 or 2020 before Grand Tour I believe. At least the string sessions were done back then, and I know the band had previously announced they were re-recording East Coast Racer in that timeframe. So the lineup is going to be the band that featured Dave Longdon, Dave Gregory, Danny Manners, and Rachel Hall.
As far as I know, this is correct. The version of "East Coast Racer" on the album "is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up of the band as it was in 2019.", word for word from the YouTube video description (I managed to screenshot it on my phone before it was privated). Of course, more will be revealed next week when it is officially unveiled by the band (and not accidentally uploaded on YouTube).
-Marc.
Interesting. Well that is the best lineup of the band as far as I'm concerned. I'm curious if David Longdon re-recorded the vocal tracks as well.
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
Other notes about the album include:
-All three songs feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London
-Longdon's vocals have been compiled from original album sessions
-ECR is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up in 2019
-Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals
-Voyager has additional guitar and violin
-All three songs have been remixed
-Marc.
From the video description, it was stated that Longdon's vocals were from their respective original album sessions.
-Marc.
-
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/ingenious-devices
Bandcamp link has gone live, as I just saw a fellow Passenger post about it in the BBT Facebook group. Not sure if it's *supposed* to be yet or not, but there it is!
EDIT - https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
Pre-order links are live at Burning Shed and The Band Wagon USA. And the previously linked YouTube video also is live (again).
-Marc.
-
Excellent! Here is the now live again trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3caBZVLZEKXVA5xqrf-TRFEh4BaHHiMXqF4FBnRdQEl2ZCfvpj66Ve6R8&v=gM4rmPS_2vI&feature=youtu.be
Sounds great! June 30th seems a long way off. Too bad since the bandcamp link also mentions April, but I’m guessing that is a mistake.
-
Excellent! Here is the now live again trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3caBZVLZEKXVA5xqrf-TRFEh4BaHHiMXqF4FBnRdQEl2ZCfvpj66Ve6R8&v=gM4rmPS_2vI&feature=youtu.be
Sounds great! June 30th seems a long way off. Too bad since the bandcamp link also mentions April, but I’m guessing that is a mistake.
Greg said on Facebook that bandcamp doesn't allow preorders longer than 90 days out, so that is not correct. It's definitely coming out in June.
-Marc.
-
Right, that whole extended outro with the solo. I’m speculating, but I’m thinking that’s what they’ll do.
Makes sense, especially since it's the 2019 line-up re-recording it and they've been playing it live that way for years at that point.
-Marc.
The 2019 lineup is re-recording it or the current lineup? I'm missing something here.
These recordings were done back in 2019 or 2020 before Grand Tour I believe. At least the string sessions were done back then, and I know the band had previously announced they were re-recording East Coast Racer in that timeframe. So the lineup is going to be the band that featured Dave Longdon, Dave Gregory, Danny Manners, and Rachel Hall.
As far as I know, this is correct. The version of "East Coast Racer" on the album "is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up of the band as it was in 2019.", word for word from the YouTube video description (I managed to screenshot it on my phone before it was privated). Of course, more will be revealed next week when it is officially unveiled by the band (and not accidentally uploaded on YouTube).
-Marc.
Interesting. Well that is the best lineup of the band as far as I'm concerned. I'm curious if David Longdon re-recorded the vocal tracks as well.
I’m also wondering if The Book of Ingenious Devices is an instrumental. Maybe that will replace On The Racing Line (or repurpose it) since it is meant to link ECR and Brooklands.
Other notes about the album include:
-All three songs feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London
-Longdon's vocals have been compiled from original album sessions
-ECR is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up in 2019
-Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals
-Voyager has additional guitar and violin
-All three songs have been remixed
-Marc.
From the video description, it was stated that Longdon's vocals were from their respective original album sessions.
-Marc.
Oops.... missed that part.
-
Excellent! Here is the now live again trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3caBZVLZEKXVA5xqrf-TRFEh4BaHHiMXqF4FBnRdQEl2ZCfvpj66Ve6R8&v=gM4rmPS_2vI&feature=youtu.be
Sounds great! June 30th seems a long way off. Too bad since the bandcamp link also mentions April, but I’m guessing that is a mistake.
That section of Brooklands sounds sick - and they got me again, goosebumps with the ECR climax. The whole thing sounds amazing!
-
"Ingenious Devices" is available to pre-order here:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com
-
Excellent! Here is the now live again trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3caBZVLZEKXVA5xqrf-TRFEh4BaHHiMXqF4FBnRdQEl2ZCfvpj66Ve6R8&v=gM4rmPS_2vI&feature=youtu.be
Sounds great! June 30th seems a long way off. Too bad since the bandcamp link also mentions April, but I’m guessing that is a mistake.
That section of Brooklands sounds sick - and they got me again, goosebumps with the ECR climax. The whole thing sounds amazing!
I keep coming back to the trailer and am just in awe as to how good it all sounds. The 17-piece strings really add a whole new dimension to their music. June 30th can't arrive soon enough!
-Marc.
-
I got my Passengers Club shirt yesterday. Does anyone know if it's good quality or if it will shrink after 2 washes?
-
I got my Passengers Club shirt yesterday. Does anyone know if it's good quality or if it will shrink after 2 washes?
I’d say everything this band does is of the highest quality, but I can’t actually speak for the merchandise! Not really a band shirt guy myself.
-
I'm sure it's top quality, as you said :smiley:
-
I've only worn mine once or twice so it hasn't gone through the wash a lot yet, but of the nine total BBT shirts I own, they've all held up so far. If it fits now it should still fit by the 100th wear, barring any changes to your body.
-Marc.
-
Excellent! Here is the now live again trailer:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3caBZVLZEKXVA5xqrf-TRFEh4BaHHiMXqF4FBnRdQEl2ZCfvpj66Ve6R8&v=gM4rmPS_2vI&feature=youtu.be
Sounds great! June 30th seems a long way off. Too bad since the bandcamp link also mentions April, but I’m guessing that is a mistake.
That section of Brooklands sounds sick - and they got me again, goosebumps with the ECR climax. The whole thing sounds amazing!
I keep coming back to the trailer and am just in awe as to how good it all sounds. The 17-piece strings really add a whole new dimension to their music. June 30th can't arrive soon enough!
-Marc.
I do as well and I'm just listening to in on my crappy laptop speakers. Can't wait to get it on a good system.
-
Carly was the most interesting thing to happen to BBT for years, she really brought a new dimension to the band and I was intrigued to hear what she'd contribute next.
-
Carly was the most interesting thing to happen to BBT for years, she really brought a new dimension to the band and I was intrigued to hear what she'd contribute next.
Same, I am a bit bummed that she's decided to depart, but at the same time I look forward to her solo album, which wouldn't surprise me if she had some BBT members make an appearance.
At least we've got two albums with Carly, including her brilliant title track on WTTP.
-Marc.
-
Some interesting stuff in the recent newsletter.
https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain
I'm especially excited about the new podcast, Big Express, starting on February 16.
-
Laser CD has the new CD up for pre-order now too. Shipping was a tad cheaper so I ordered from there. Now the long wait starts.
-
Some interesting stuff in the recent newsletter.
https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain
I'm especially excited about the new podcast, Big Express, starting on February 16.
That’s awesome. I’ve wanted the band to do some kind of a podcast since they have so much material to talk about and lots of members who could contribute. Nick and Greg are always good interview listens. This should be fun.
-
Some interesting stuff in the recent newsletter.
https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain
I'm especially excited about the new podcast, Big Express, starting on February 16.
Saw the newsletter in my email earlier this morning. Interesting to note that Passengers Club members get early access to the Ingenious Devices version of "Brooklands" in a few weeks on February 17th, which is very exciting!
-Marc.
-
(https://i.imgur.com/KW4CZos.jpg)
The shirt is of very fine quality indeed, the first time I'm wearing it. Now I need to listen to some English Electric.
-
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-enlist-guitarist-maria-barbieri-to-cover-for-dave-foster
Due to touring commitments with the Steve Rothery band, Dave Foster will be covered by Maria Barbieri on some upcoming BBT shows.
-Marc.
-
https://www.loudersound.com/news/big-big-train-enlist-guitarist-maria-barbieri-to-cover-for-dave-foster
Due to touring commitments with the Steve Rothery band, Dave Foster will be covered by Maria Barbieri on some upcoming BBT shows.
-Marc.
I think we (they) are in good hands. Hey - Z, love the shirt!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwWxNTYgzsY
-
https://youtu.be/_Q2dkiob7ME
The band is playing 16 shows across 9 countries in the UK/Europe in August and September!
Big Big Train are delighted to announce 15 further shows in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and the UK to take place in August and September.
These additional dates form part of the band’s The Journey Continues tour and are in addition to the band’s previously announced headlining appearance at the 2 Days + 1 Festival in Italy on 2nd September 2023. At these performances the band will be promoting the forthcoming Ingenious Devices album, which will be released on 30th June 2023.
For these shows Big Big Train will consist of lead vocalist Alberto Bravin, drummer Nick D’Virgilio, guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom, bassist Gregory Spawton, violinist Clare Lindley, keyboardist Oskar Holldorff and guitarist Maria Barbieri. Barbieri is deputising for Dave Foster, who has prior commitments in September with the Steve Rothery Band. The Big Big Train brass ensemble, led by trombonist Dave Desmond, will perform at all shows.
Saturday 26th August – Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Sunday 27th August – Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Monday 28th August – Stora Teatern, Gothenburg, Sweden
Tuesday 29th August – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway
Wednesday 30th August – Fryshuset Klubben, Stockholm, Sweden
Thursday 31st August – Viften, Copenhagen, Denmark
Saturday 2nd September – 2 Days + 1 Festival, Revislate, Italy
Sunday 3rd September – Z7, Pratteln (Basel), Switzerland
Tuesday 5th September – Neuberinhaus, Reichenbach, Germany
Wednesday 6th September – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne, Germany
Thursday 7th September – Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
Friday 8th September – Mozart-Saal, Stuttgart, Germany
Sunday 10th September – The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, UK
Monday 11th September – Town Hall, Birmingham, UK
Tuesday 12th September – Cadogan Hall, London, UK
Wednesday 13th September – Cadogan Hall, London, UK
Support at all shows except Wednesday 13th September comes from rising Norwegian stars Dim Gray, who feature Oskar Holldorff. There will be no support at the Wednesday 13th September show.
TICKETS & PRE-SALES
Tickets will go on general sale for all shows on Friday this week at 10am UK/11am central European time.
Passengers Club members and patrons will be able to access pre-sales for most shows via the Passengers Club on Thursday this week from 10am UK/11am central European time by visiting the Passengers Club Concourse. You can access the Concourse via www.thepassengersclub.com
TOUR VENUES & LOCATIONS
We’re really excited to be returning to a number of cities and venues which we have played in recent years (Cadogan Hall in London, The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, Birmingham Town Hall and the Boerderij in Zoetermeer). Equally we’re delighted to be playing our first ever shows in Scandinavia and Italy as well as making our debut at the Z7 in Switzerland.
Equally we are very conscious that in 2022 we had planned to play shows in Germany in Bonn, Mainz and Berlin and also play in Paris for the first time.
In Germany we will be playing five shows in August/September. These are being promoted by the promoter responsible for the Night Of The Prog festival at Loreley (who is also promoting the forthcoming Camel tour of Germany). Our previously planned 2022 shows in Germany were with a different promoter.
Instead of the Bonn show planned for 2022, there will be a Cologne show – this is ca. 30 minutes from Bonn and in a better venue.
Instead of a Mainz show, there will be one in Aschaffenburg – this is at the legendary Colos-Saal and ca. 50 minutes from Mainz.
Instead of a Berlin show, there will be shows in Reichenbach and Hamburg. We are very conscious that these are each some considerable distance from Berlin and are sorry that we were unable to arrange a replacement Berlin show.
Additionally there will be a Stuttgart show in a beautiful concert hall.
There will not be a Paris show in 2023. Unfortunately it simply wasn’t feasible to play there this year. With apologies to French fans, we hope to come to Paris in future.
Fans still holding tickets for the Bonn, Mainz, Berlin and Paris shows should please contact their point of sale for refunds.
16 UNIQUE SHOWS
The band will be playing a real mixture of venues on this tour - theatres, concert halls, clubs and an outdoor festival. Aside from the different types of venues, we are planning to make every night a genuinely unique occasion by varying the set list and swapping songs in and out.
THE LONDON SHOWS
The two nights at Cadogan Hall in London promise to be very special occasions, with around 45 minutes of material being played at one show which will not be performed at the other. Due to the venue’s curfew restrictions, the shows are expected to finish at 10pm on Tuesday 12th September and at 9.30pm on Wednesday 13th September. We hope that this advance information eases travel planning.
Alberto Bravin says: “After the shows we played in the UK and the Netherlands last September, I cannot wait to get back on stage again with Big Big Train later this year. I remain truly grateful to the fans for welcoming me so warmly at last year’s shows and am excited about BBT touring more extensively.”
Rikard Sjöblom adds: “I have been campaigning for a long time for Big Big Train to come to Sweden, so I am really pleased that we’re bringing the band for the first time not only to my home country for two shows but also to play two other dates in Denmark and Norway. I hope the Scandinavian prog fans will come out in force to see us live!”
Nick D’Virgilio says: “I’m so thrilled to be taking Big Big Train into some new countries in 2023 as well as playing some venues that we’ve played before. It will be great to return to the beautiful Cadogan Hall in London. As we’re doing two nights there, these will be very special shows with about 45 minutes of material being played at one show which will not be performed at the other.”
Gregory Spawton concludes: “I’m very confident about Big Train’s future. Apart from playing live this year, we are also recording a new studio album for release in 2024 and are looking forward to taking Big Big Train across the Atlantic for Cruise To The Edge in March next year.”
We look forward to seeing you on the road.
-Marc.
-
A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
Sounds like plans for a US tour might get scuttled again due to proposed visa cost increases. The band have mentioned this would make coming to the states prohibitive.
https://mixmag.net/read/us-propose-increase-visa-fee-foreign-artists-touring-news?fbclid=IwAR3Duj6UtouLhwcymuXD-t5-H2hkjFbHjc0pr3BoTvJsHedXv8vLz225mUU
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We are planning our honeymoon around hitting Ayreon in the middle of September. This tour definitely gives Scotland or Germany a leg up on where we might go.
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A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
Sounds like plans for a US tour might get scuttled again due to proposed visa cost increases. The band have mentioned this would make coming to the states prohibitive.
https://mixmag.net/read/us-propose-increase-visa-fee-foreign-artists-touring-news?fbclid=IwAR3Duj6UtouLhwcymuXD-t5-H2hkjFbHjc0pr3BoTvJsHedXv8vLz225mUU
I'm really hoping and praying they will play some US shows in 2024 around the time they're doing Cruise to The Edge. I would be willing to travel to another part of the country to see them if they do.
-
Alberto Bravin posted a short clip on his FB page of a keyboard solo he's working on. Doesn't say specifically this is for BBT, but it sure sounds like BBT. Not sure if this link will work, but it sounds really nice.
https://fb.watch/iC6eKPRV8e/
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Alberto Bravin posted a short clip on his FB page of a keyboard solo he's working on. Doesn't say specifically this is for BBT, but it sure sounds like BBT. Not sure if this link will work, but it sounds really nice.
https://fb.watch/iC6eKPRV8e/
Sounds great! I agree, sounds like NDV on drums.
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A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
I was at that show, and the sound problems were really only an issue in the front side galleries (where I was). Dave Longdon came up to talk to us and apologise during the interval, which was nice of him. I've got a ticket for the second show - these sold out pretty quickly, so I'm in the front side gallery again! I'll be able to let you know first hand if there's any sound issues.
-
Made an audio-rip of "Last Eleven" and made a Playlist of music released by BBT from last year.
The Journey Continues 2022 (33:03)
01. Last Eleven (7:48)
02. Master James Of St. George (Live At Aylesbury) (6:29)
03. Made From Sunshine (Live At Aylesbury) (4:16)
04. Intro To Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (1:01)
05. Telling The Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (7:03)
06. Snowfalls (Live At The Boerderij) (6:26)
It's a nice lil EP featuring music performed by the current line-up with Oskar and Alberto. I've listened to all of these separately but it'll be fun to hear it all in a row as we eventually prepare for their next full studio album (with Oskar and Alberto).
-Marc.
-
Made an audio-rip of "Last Eleven" and made a Playlist of music released by BBT from last year.
The Journey Continues 2022 (33:03)
01. Last Eleven (7:48)
02. Master James Of St. George (Live At Aylesbury) (6:29)
03. Made From Sunshine (Live At Aylesbury) (4:16)
04. Intro To Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (1:01)
05. Telling The Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (7:03)
06. Snowfalls (Live At The Boerderij) (6:26)
It's a nice lil EP featuring music performed by the current line-up with Oskar and Alberto. I've listened to all of these separately but it'll be fun to hear it all in a row as we eventually prepare for their next full studio album (with Oskar and Alberto).
-Marc.
I'm blanking. Did they release footage/audio for Master James and Made From Sunshine from the Aylesbury show? Passengers Club maybe?
-
Made an audio-rip of "Last Eleven" and made a Playlist of music released by BBT from last year.
The Journey Continues 2022 (33:03)
01. Last Eleven (7:48)
02. Master James Of St. George (Live At Aylesbury) (6:29)
03. Made From Sunshine (Live At Aylesbury) (4:16)
04. Intro To Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (1:01)
05. Telling The Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (7:03)
06. Snowfalls (Live At The Boerderij) (6:26)
It's a nice lil EP featuring music performed by the current line-up with Oskar and Alberto. I've listened to all of these separately but it'll be fun to hear it all in a row as we eventually prepare for their next full studio album (with Oskar and Alberto).
-Marc.
I'm blanking. Did they release footage/audio for Master James and Made From Sunshine from the Aylesbury show? Passengers Club maybe?
The audio was a special download for tour patrons only. Otherwise, only "Telling The Bees" was available for Passengers Club members (which has an intro by NDV that I separated into its own track via Audacity). And "Snowfalls" is on their Bandcamp.
Incidentally, the version of "Atlantic Cable" featured on the end of the forthcoming Ingenious Devices is from the Aylesbury show, so when that comes around, I may move it over to my Journey Continues playlist to fill that out to 48-minute+ album-length and rip it to CD-r.
-Marc.
-
Made an audio-rip of "Last Eleven" and made a Playlist of music released by BBT from last year.
The Journey Continues 2022 (33:03)
01. Last Eleven (7:48)
02. Master James Of St. George (Live At Aylesbury) (6:29)
03. Made From Sunshine (Live At Aylesbury) (4:16)
04. Intro To Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (1:01)
05. Telling The Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (7:03)
06. Snowfalls (Live At The Boerderij) (6:26)
It's a nice lil EP featuring music performed by the current line-up with Oskar and Alberto. I've listened to all of these separately but it'll be fun to hear it all in a row as we eventually prepare for their next full studio album (with Oskar and Alberto).
-Marc.
I'm blanking. Did they release footage/audio for Master James and Made From Sunshine from the Aylesbury show? Passengers Club maybe?
The audio was a special download for tour patrons only. Otherwise, only "Telling The Bees" was available for Passengers Club members (which has an intro by NDV that I separated into its own track via Audacity). And "Snowfalls" is on their Bandcamp.
Incidentally, the version of "Atlantic Cable" featured on the end of the forthcoming Ingenious Devices is from the Aylesbury show, so when that comes around, I may move it over to my Journey Continues playlist to fill that out to 48-minute+ album-length and rip it to CD-r.
-Marc.
Ah, that makes sense. I don’t think I had heard before which tracks were made available to the tour patrons.
-
A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
Sounds like plans for a US tour might get scuttled again due to proposed visa cost increases. The band have mentioned this would make coming to the states prohibitive.
https://mixmag.net/read/us-propose-increase-visa-fee-foreign-artists-touring-news?fbclid=IwAR3Duj6UtouLhwcymuXD-t5-H2hkjFbHjc0pr3BoTvJsHedXv8vLz225mUU
I'm really hoping and praying they will play some US shows in 2024 around the time they're doing Cruise to The Edge. I would be willing to travel to another part of the country to see them if they do.
If they do, it's likely going to be Fort Wayne, IN and more than likely at Sweetwater, since that's Nick's day job (and mine), and it's an ideal place for them to rehearse.
-
A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
Sounds like plans for a US tour might get scuttled again due to proposed visa cost increases. The band have mentioned this would make coming to the states prohibitive.
https://mixmag.net/read/us-propose-increase-visa-fee-foreign-artists-touring-news?fbclid=IwAR3Duj6UtouLhwcymuXD-t5-H2hkjFbHjc0pr3BoTvJsHedXv8vLz225mUU
I'm really hoping and praying they will play some US shows in 2024 around the time they're doing Cruise to The Edge. I would be willing to travel to another part of the country to see them if they do.
If they do, it's likely going to be Fort Wayne, IN and more than likely at Sweetwater, since that's Nick's day job (and mine), and it's an ideal place for them to rehearse.
Then I would travel to Ft Wayne IN to see them. Always wanted to checkout Sweetwater anyway.
-
Made an audio-rip of "Last Eleven" and made a Playlist of music released by BBT from last year.
The Journey Continues 2022 (33:03)
01. Last Eleven (7:48)
02. Master James Of St. George (Live At Aylesbury) (6:29)
03. Made From Sunshine (Live At Aylesbury) (4:16)
04. Intro To Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (1:01)
05. Telling The Bees (Live At Aylesbury) (7:03)
06. Snowfalls (Live At The Boerderij) (6:26)
It's a nice lil EP featuring music performed by the current line-up with Oskar and Alberto. I've listened to all of these separately but it'll be fun to hear it all in a row as we eventually prepare for their next full studio album (with Oskar and Alberto).
-Marc.
That's awesome!
-
A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
Sounds like plans for a US tour might get scuttled again due to proposed visa cost increases. The band have mentioned this would make coming to the states prohibitive.
https://mixmag.net/read/us-propose-increase-visa-fee-foreign-artists-touring-news?fbclid=IwAR3Duj6UtouLhwcymuXD-t5-H2hkjFbHjc0pr3BoTvJsHedXv8vLz225mUU
I'm really hoping and praying they will play some US shows in 2024 around the time they're doing Cruise to The Edge. I would be willing to travel to another part of the country to see them if they do.
If they do, it's likely going to be Fort Wayne, IN and more than likely at Sweetwater, since that's Nick's day job (and mine), and it's an ideal place for them to rehearse.
Then I would travel to Ft Wayne IN to see them. Always wanted to checkout Sweetwater anyway.
They were slated to play at Sweetwater in 2020 on the “Tour That Never Was.” Almost certain they would hit it on any run in the states. Just not sure if it will be financially viable for them to come here. Maybe they can at least play in Canada (they had dates in Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City before).
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Today we can stream Brooklands on the Passengers Club site.
https://thepassengersclub.com/
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Immediate reaction is that I am not fond of that drum sound (very reverby, like they were recorded live in a stadium). The whole thing sounds very live though, so I’m guessing that’s what they were going for. Maybe they will sound a little better on CD (they sound squashed in the mix to me from the Soundcloud stream).
Otherwise, the orchestra does sound good and it is different enough from the original that it’s worth having. Might always prefer the original, but time will tell I guess.
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I gotta say, I am actually not that excited for this release. I think the original recordings all sounded great. Yes, the alternate ending to Eastcoast Racer is awesome, but a full 2LP release? I don't know. I would have liked if they concentrated on their new line up and their new singer and released some original music instead.
BBT is usually an instant limited vinyl edition pre-order from Burning Shed even though shipping from England costs as much as a kidney. But this time I'm hesitating.
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I gotta say, I am actually not that excited for this release. I think the original recordings all sounded great. Yes, the alternate ending to Eastcoast Racer is awesome, but a full 2LP release? I don't know. I would have liked if they concentrated on their new line up and their new singer and released some original music instead.
BBT is usually an instant limited vinyl edition pre-order from Burning Shed even though shipping from England costs as much as a kidney. But this time I'm hesitating.
This has been in the works for several years (the strings and re-recorded ECR were done in 2019 or earlier). The reason they are releasing it now is to raise some additional funds from the pre-order to offset the up front tour costs. I suppose it might have been preferable for them to finish and put out a new album with Alberto before doing further touring, but they’ve been trying to do this tour for three years now.
-
Interesting new David Longdon unreleased track up on his website today. It's a song that he and Danny Manners collaborated on back in 1997 when they were both in Louis Phillipe's band. I'd read about this before and I'm glad it was finally released.
https://davidlongdon.net/demos-and-unreleased-songs/?fbclid=IwAR3arLiVgxoUHybsb1d9N8modge6jCMcCgbWgIe9nfPcP8Mh8EAQ4a9aa8Y
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So, my viewing was delayed to watch with some friends who made the trip to Germany as well to see BBT among others at Night of the Prog.
But I have to say about Summer Shall Not Fade, the 5.1 mix is probably the greatest live recording I've ever heard.
It's absolutely stunning. Every instrument, heard clearly, and coming together perfectly.
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I have to agree. It's amazing.
-
Does anyone love Upton Heath as much as I do?
I can be having the shittiest of shitty days and that song will always smooth the waters. It is just so peaceful and ethereal and I cannot help but think of - and hope for - the day when I will again be reunited with my entire family in a beautiful place along a shoreline where there is no pain, no strife, and no sadness. Just love. :heart
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Does anyone love Upton Heath as much as I do?
I can be having the shittiest of shitty days and that song will always smooth the waters. It is just so peaceful and ethereal and I cannot help but think of - and hope for - the day when I will again be reunited with my entire family in a beautiful place along a shoreline where there is no pain, no strife, and no sadness. Just love. :heart
Well, this prompted another listen of English Electric (actually had been listening to some yesterday). Definitely a beautiful song, which BBT seem to be able to write in their sleep.
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A little surprised they are returning to Cadogan after what happened last time, but I guess they’ll know better how to handle the sound issues from experience. Imagine those two might be filmed since each set is unique.
Sounds like plans for a US tour might get scuttled again due to proposed visa cost increases. The band have mentioned this would make coming to the states prohibitive.
https://mixmag.net/read/us-propose-increase-visa-fee-foreign-artists-touring-news?fbclid=IwAR3Duj6UtouLhwcymuXD-t5-H2hkjFbHjc0pr3BoTvJsHedXv8vLz225mUU
I'm really hoping and praying they will play some US shows in 2024 around the time they're doing Cruise to The Edge. I would be willing to travel to another part of the country to see them if they do.
If they do, it's likely going to be Fort Wayne, IN and more than likely at Sweetwater, since that's Nick's day job (and mine), and it's an ideal place for them to rehearse.
Then I would travel to Ft Wayne IN to see them. Always wanted to checkout Sweetwater anyway.
They were slated to play at Sweetwater in 2020 on the “Tour That Never Was.” Almost certain they would hit it on any run in the states. Just not sure if it will be financially viable for them to come here. Maybe they can at least play in Canada (they had dates in Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City before).
I was really looking forward to seeing them on that show as well. It was going to be an outdoor show, not too long after work, and it was supposed to be great weather that night!
-
https://youtu.be/cwbgqkjudME
Tour and new album news update!
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/cwbgqkjudME
Tour and new album news update!
-Marc.
And a snippet of new music being recorded! (spoilers I guess if you're worried about that). Sounded fantastic though!
-
https://youtu.be/cwbgqkjudME
Tour and new album news update!
-Marc.
Saw this on Facebook. The new clip sounds awesome! Can't wait for the new album next year. I really hope they figure out a way to play some shows in the US!
-
https://youtu.be/_wTYlRaWdQ0
A message from Alberto as he celebrates one year with BBT!
https://youtu.be/tOEd18p0iwA
Also looks like they'll be posting a live version of "The Florentine" from The Boerderij from last September.
At this rate, I'd pay for the whole concert video/audio!
-Marc.
-
https://youtu.be/_wTYlRaWdQ0
A message from Alberto as he celebrates one year with BBT!
https://youtu.be/tOEd18p0iwA
Also looks like they'll be posting a live version of "The Florentine" from The Boerderij from last September.
At this rate, I'd pay for the whole concert video/audio!
-Marc.
Alberto seems like such a cool dude. He's in an impossible situation, as no one can replace David Longdon, but I love his positive spirit. Digging his voice as well!
-
Enjoyed this new song from the upcoming Dave Foster Band release, Glimmer (out April 21st).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XDZ-Xaqa5EE&feature=youtu.be
Also, here is a great drum play through video by NDV for a song off the new Kite Parade album, Retro (technically out Friday I believe).
https://youtu.be/ifA9F1tpBC0
If you missed the first Kite Parade album last year, definitely check that out as well because it was awesome (it’s basically a solo project by a guy named Andy Foster but Nick plays drums on most of it, and Rob Aubrey recorded/mixed it).
-
https://youtu.be/tOEd18p0iwA
Also looks like they'll be posting a live version of "The Florentine" from The Boerderij from last September.
At this rate, I'd pay for the whole concert video/audio!
-Marc.
Video of "The Florentine" is now live, and it's beautiful.
-
https://youtu.be/tOEd18p0iwA
Also looks like they'll be posting a live version of "The Florentine" from The Boerderij from last September.
At this rate, I'd pay for the whole concert video/audio!
-Marc.
HOLY SHIT - YES! :metal :heart :heart :heart
Video of "The Florentine" is now live, and it's beautiful.
-
https://youtu.be/tOEd18p0iwA
Also looks like they'll be posting a live version of "The Florentine" from The Boerderij from last September.
At this rate, I'd pay for the whole concert video/audio!
-Marc.
Video of "The Florentine" is now live, and it's beautiful.
HOLY SHIT - YES! :metal :heart :heart :heart
FTFY. :lol
But yes, very good video, even though I only had a chance to watch half of it because I am at work, but I'll watch the whole thing when I get home later. Definitely makes me want the whole show on BD and CD now.
Here's the setlist from that show, for those curious: (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2022/de-boerderij-zoetermeer-netherlands-4bb08f5e.html)
Master James Of St. George
Made From Sunshine
The First Rebreather
Atlantic Cable
The Florentine
Telling The Bees
Hedgerow
Bats In The Belfry
Last Eleven
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
A Mead Hall In Winter
Apollo
East Coast Racer (Encore)
Based on the studio track times, it's about a two-hour show, which has been about average for the band.
-Marc.
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I don't even know how the hell that happened but thanks for fixing it. :lol
-
I'm not crazy about this setlist, a little too "happy" for me (Hedgerow, Made From Sunshine, Bees, Florentine).
To be clear, I like all of those songs, even love some (Hedgerow, Bees), but I would love to hear a bit more of BBT's darker, more dramatic side as well (London Plane, Boy In Darkness, Winchester Driver). Also, I'm not sure if Master James is the most powerful opener for a concert? To be clear again, I also love that song, I'm just not sure about it as an opener.
I'm sure Apollo was awesome though and I'm happy they kept Mead Hall in the setlist.
-
I'm not crazy about this setlist, a little too "happy" for me (Hedgerow, Made From Sunshine, Bees, Florentine).
To be clear, I like all of those songs, even love some (Hedgerow, Bees), but I would love to hear a bit more of BBT's darker, more dramatic side as well (London Plane, Boy In Darkness, Winchester Driver). Also, I'm not sure if Master James is the most powerful opener for a concert? To be clear again, I also love that song, I'm just not sure about it as an opener.
I'm sure Apollo was awesome though and I'm happy they kept Mead Hall in the setlist.
Maybe this summer they'll finally premier "Winchester Diver" (not driver) as it's never been played live before, AFAIK.
-Marc
-
I'm not crazy about this setlist, a little too "happy" for me (Hedgerow, Made From Sunshine, Bees, Florentine).
To be clear, I like all of those songs, even love some (Hedgerow, Bees), but I would love to hear a bit more of BBT's darker, more dramatic side as well (London Plane, Boy In Darkness, Winchester Driver). Also, I'm not sure if Master James is the most powerful opener for a concert? To be clear again, I also love that song, I'm just not sure about it as an opener.
I'm sure Apollo was awesome though and I'm happy they kept Mead Hall in the setlist.
Maybe this summer they'll finally premier "Winchester Diver" (not driver) as it's never been played live before, AFAIK.
-Marc
Embarrassing... only a typo though ;)
-
I'm not crazy about this setlist, a little too "happy" for me (Hedgerow, Made From Sunshine, Bees, Florentine).
To be clear, I like all of those songs, even love some (Hedgerow, Bees), but I would love to hear a bit more of BBT's darker, more dramatic side as well (London Plane, Boy In Darkness, Winchester Driver). Also, I'm not sure if Master James is the most powerful opener for a concert? To be clear again, I also love that song, I'm just not sure about it as an opener.
I'm sure Apollo was awesome though and I'm happy they kept Mead Hall in the setlist.
Maybe this summer they'll finally premier "Winchester Diver" (not driver) as it's never been played live before, AFAIK.
-Marc
Embarrassing... only a typo though ;)
I've often confused it myself many times, and I even had to double check the spelling from the album on my phone just to be sure. :lol
But also, adding an extra "r" to BBT titles could be fun. We'd get "Telling The Beers"!
-Marc.
-
Winchester Diver would be awesome live. They’ve already committed to playing more of the back catalog on this tour, so maybe it will happen. Fat Billy Shouts Mine is another older track I’d love to hear live (or The Wide Open Sea). If they want to dig really deep, The Shipping Forecast or Finding Your Way would be great too.
-
I keep hoping for one or two songs from the Pre-Longdon albums, ones that they haven't played before (so not "Summer's Lease" or "Wind Distorted Pioneers").
-Marc.
-
Perfect Cosmic Storm would blow my mind.
-
First BBT podcast with Nick D'Virgilio dropped today for Passengers Club members. Some interesting nuggets include that the next D'Virgilo, Morse & Jennings album is just about done, and that Nick's Rewiring Genesis/The Lamb album is being re-mixed/re-issued with some new contributions from Steve Hackett. Lots of other good stuff in there as well though.
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First BBT podcast with Nick D'Virgilio dropped today for Passengers Club members. Some interesting nuggets include that the next D'Virgilo, Morse & Jennings album is just about done, and that Nick's Rewiring Genesis/The Lamb album is being re-mixed/re-issued with some new contributions from Steve Hackett. Lots of other good stuff in there as well though.
I'm stuck at work til at least five today, so I won't get a chance to listen til at least after then, but it's good to hear that the Rewiring Genesis album will get re-issued. I still remember ordering mine off Amazon back in November 2008, I think I paid like $15-16 after shipping, and I've still got that 2CD set. New contributions from Hackett is definitely worthy of re-buying the set. I wonder if they'll do it on vinyl too? I don't normally collect vinyl, but if it's a gorgeous package with a fancy vinyl color to match, I may splurge on it because I really love their take on that classic concept album.
Regarding the DMJ album, I wonder if he just means they're done writing it, or if they're done tracking the final studio recordings? Because if it's the latter, then I suspect they'll try and push this one out by the fall. With two albums under their belts, I wonder if they'll try to do a tour next year? It would be neat to see them pad out the set with songs from some of Neal's solo song-writer stuff, NDV's Invisible album, and Ross' solo album from a couple years ago. I'm sure Ross has wanted to play some of those solo album songs live and being with Nick and Neal would be the perfect time for that. I assume Nick would drum, Neal would play keys and acoustic guitar, but does Ross do anything besides sing, like play guitar or keys? I wonder who else they would get for a live band, at least a dedicated bassist and guitarist.
-Marc.
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It sounded like with the DMJ album they were just putting the finishing touches on the songs, so I think it's all recorded. He did mention again how much they'd like to play live, but schedules and all that.
-
It sounded like with the DMJ album they were just putting the finishing touches on the songs, so I think it's all recorded. He did mention again how much they'd like to play live, but schedules and all that.
Oh yeah, getting those three together in the same room for a show or interview would be hard enough, but for a whole tour could be near-impossible, but I think they could try and make it happen. I think it would be a dream to see Nick bring Rikard from BBT to play guitars with them, and maybe Neal bring Randy George from NMB to play bass. That would be a great line-up IMO.
I definitely need to go back and spin the first DMJ album again, it's always refreshing every time I listen to it, so I am eagerly awaiting their follow-up!
-Marc.
-
I'm hoping we get a set from DMJ on Cruise to the Edge since they'll all be onboard with respective bands.
-
It sounded like with the DMJ album they were just putting the finishing touches on the songs, so I think it's all recorded. He did mention again how much they'd like to play live, but schedules and all that.
Oh yeah, getting those three together in the same room for a show or interview would be hard enough, but for a whole tour could be near-impossible, but I think they could try and make it happen. I think it would be a dream to see Nick bring Rikard from BBT to play guitars with them, and maybe Neal bring Randy George from NMB to play bass. That would be a great line-up IMO.
I definitely need to go back and spin the first DMJ album again, it's always refreshing every time I listen to it, so I am eagerly awaiting their follow-up!
-Marc.
That would be awesome!
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Winchester Diver would be awesome live. They’ve already committed to playing more of the back catalog on this tour, so maybe it will happen. Fat Billy Shouts Mine is another older track I’d love to hear live (or The Wide Open Sea). If they want to dig really deep, The Shipping Forecast or Finding Your Way would be great too.
Would love to see/hear live versions of all of these!
-
To celebrate and promote the forthcoming 'The Journey Continues' Tour this August & September, Big Big Train will be sharing videos of a couple of songs filmed on tour last year. The first of these is "The Florentine" which was recorded in September 2022 at The Boerderij in The Netherlands.
You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/tOEd18p0iwA
-
https://youtu.be/rtoVceCWqc4
Alberto has shared another video, and at the end features some new demo recording of new music!
-Marc.
-
Sounds good!
-
https://youtu.be/rtoVceCWqc4
Alberto has shared another video, and at the end features some new demo recording of new music!
-Marc.
Sounds good and quite different from the other clips. Can't wait for new music!!
-
https://youtu.be/cMMlag0uPRE
"The First Rebreather" live at The Boerderij.
-Marc.
-
That was great!
-
Rikard is taking on a lot more keyboard stuff. Kinda figured now that they don't have 2 dudes in the back just handling keys.
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That was awesome Alberto killed it!
-
Per Alberto’s Facebook, he and Maria Barbieri are in England doing some recording with Greg and Rob. They were at Aubrey’s studio the other day, and today they’re at Real World. Interesting since they have a plan to record as a full band in Italy in May. I guess they might just be doing some preproduction stuff now, but wonder if there isn’t something special being worked on that might be out in advance of the new album. Also looks like Maria will be involved in the recording band as well as live. Not sure if that means anything as far as Dave Foster’s involvement or not.
-
Per Alberto’s Facebook, he and Maria Barbieri are in England doing some recording with Greg and Rob. They were at Aubrey’s studio the other day, and today they’re at Real World. Interesting since they have a plan to record as a full band in Italy in May. I guess they might just be doing some preproduction stuff now, but wonder if there isn’t something special being worked on that might be out in advance of the new album. Also looks like Maria will be involved in the recording band as well as live. Not sure if that means anything as far as Dave Foster’s involvement or not.
The fact that Maria is involved with the recording is interesting indeed. I'm thinking it could be for something to be released in advance of the tour - or could this be another Carly / Oskar situation?
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Per Alberto’s Facebook, he and Maria Barbieri are in England doing some recording with Greg and Rob. They were at Aubrey’s studio the other day, and today they’re at Real World. Interesting since they have a plan to record as a full band in Italy in May. I guess they might just be doing some preproduction stuff now, but wonder if there isn’t something special being worked on that might be out in advance of the new album. Also looks like Maria will be involved in the recording band as well as live. Not sure if that means anything as far as Dave Foster’s involvement or not.
The fact that Maria is involved with the recording is interesting indeed. I'm thinking it could be for something to be released in advance of the tour - or could this be another Carly / Oskar situation?
Certainly crossed my mind. Dave has his new Dave Foster Band album out soon, and he’s busy with Steve Rothery this summer. Doesn’t seem like he’s so busy otherwise that he’d pull out of the band altogether, but it’s possible Maria is better able to commit full time. Or maybe they’ll just utilize them both with Rikard focusing more on keyboards/accordion.
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BIG BIG TRAIN UPDATE – 17TH APRIL 2023
The Journey Continues Tour & The First Rebreather
Since the last update we’ve been preparing for the forthcoming August/September tour. Those preparations included Alberto Bravin and Maria Barbieri making a trip to the UK last week. They also managed to fit in a quick visit to Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios and the city of Bath.
Last week we also released a film of The First Rebreather which was recorded last September at The Boerderij in the Netherlands: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMMlag0uPRE
Over the next couple of months we plan to release films of two more songs from the tour, one from the Boerderij show and the other from the Aylesbury show via the band’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@bigbigtrainband
On our YouTube channel you will find some recent short messages from band members about the forthcoming tour, with more to come.
The full list of tour dates this year with ticket links to all venue box offices is at www.bigbigtrain.com/live.
The Big Express Podcast – Alberto Bravin & Nick D’Virgilio
The second episode of the Big Express podcast went live in the Passengers Club last Friday and features BBT manager Nick Shilton and digital manager Steve Cadman in conversation with Alberto Bravin. You can log into or join the Passengers Club here: https://thepassengersclub.com
The first episode of the podcast with Nick D’Virgilio remains in the Passengers Club and will be available on all major streaming platforms shortly.
Ingenious Devices & Ingenious Devices Hoodie
Last call for pre-orders for the new hoodie to mark the 30th June release of the Ingenious Devices album. The sweatshirt is available in various sizes from S - 4XL and is expected to ship on 12th May 2023.
S – XL: https://burningshed.com/big-big-train_ingenious-devices...
2XL-4XL: https://burningshed.com/big-big-train_ingenious-devices...
All sizes: https://thebandwagonusa.com/en-gb/collections/big-big-train/products/big-big-train-ingenious-devices-zip-up-hoody
Ingenious Devices will be available on CD, double vinyl (black and blue vinyl) and Bandcamp download. The album will be available on all major streaming platforms from 28th July 2023. The album features new versions of East Coast Racer, Brooklands and Voyager, which prominently feature an elite 17 piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and have been re-mixed for this release.
Additionally Ingenious Devices includes a previously unreleased orchestral piece called The Book of Ingenious Devices, which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands, as well as a live version of Atlantic Cable, which was recorded on the band’s tour in September 2022.
Ingenious Devices remains available to pre-order here:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/big-big-train
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com
An exclusive preview of the Ingenious Devices track Brooklands remains available to Passengers Club members.
Dave Foster Band/Glimmer
The new Dave Foster Band album Glimmer will be released on Friday this week on CD. Unfortunately, and with our apologies, the vinyl has been delayed until 8th May. You can hear the two singles from the album …Or You Steal Some and Dive In here https://youtu.be/XDZ-Xaqa5EE and www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ibrMw4RdA
Pre-order Glimmer now via Burning Shed https://burningshed.com/store/english-electric-recordings or The Bandwagon USA https://thebandwagonusa.com/en-gb/collections/dave-foster-band The album will be available via all digital platforms from 19th May 2023.
Recent Interviews
Finally, there are a couple of new Big Big Train interviews online.
Watch Alberto Bravin, Gregory Spawton and Nick D’Virgilio on Interviewing The Legends: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCGNMzEfUsI
Listen to Gregory Spawton on the Rock, Paper, Swords! podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TjtbzqZfJ4ZYm752JD2o0?si=vS9yE8AHQUWkBu2G2aXb5w&dd=1
Best wishes
Big Big Train
Lots of good updates! We draw ever closer to the release of Ingenious Devices, and subsequently, the next tour! Also, I can't wait for the next two live videos from Boerderij and Aylesbury!
-Marc.
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Ingenious Devices - Album Release Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwVT6FSLWpk
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Ingenious Devices - Album Release Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwVT6FSLWpk
Don’t think I’ll ever not get a little choked up hearing David sing that line. Sounds great with the orchestra.
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Ingenious Devices - Album Release Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwVT6FSLWpk
Don’t think I’ll ever not get a little choked up hearing David sing that line. Sounds great with the orchestra.
Same - one of the great moments in music history lol (I'm being serious though). It does indeed sound incredible with the strings added!
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https://youtu.be/0C8R-rAKjW0
"Atlantic Cable" live in Aylesbury. It sounds and looks SO good.
-Marc.
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Bassist Gregory Spawton says: “One of the recurrent themes we've explored in Big Big Train over the years is how humans have been able to harness technology to make the world a better place. Atlantic Cable is a song about the laying of the first telegraph cables across the Atlantic Ocean in the 19th century. It was a mighty endeavour which helped to bring people together. We really enjoyed playing Atlantic Cable at the legendary Friars, Aylesbury last year and are pleased to share this film of the performance.”
Keyboardist Oskar Holldorff adds: “Following a warm-up show the night before, the gig in Aylesbury was my first official performance with Big Big Train, and what a night it was! Atlantic Cable was positioned early on in the set, and it felt great to work our way through a proper BBT epic in the beautiful Waterside Theatre. I particularly enjoyed the instrumental section starting at the 11-minute mark, in which Rikard Sjöblom’s brilliant clavinet solo was followed by Dave Foster shredding the house down!”
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Just out of interest how would people rank the albums since English Electric? So that's Folklore, Grimspound, Grand Tour, Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet? (Include Second Brightest Star if you like too).
-
Hmmm.
Folklore
Grimspound
Common Ground
Grand Tour
Welcome To The Planet
Second Brightest Star
Maybe? They are all pretty close in quality for me.
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Maybe? They are all pretty close in quality for me.
Personally I think Folklore standouts a little bit ahead of the rest. Your ranking is pretty similar to mine I'd put 'Welcome' above 'Grand Tour' though.
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Maybe? They are all pretty close in quality for me.
Personally I think Folklore standouts a little bit ahead of the rest. Your ranking is pretty similar to mine I'd put 'Welcome' above 'Grand Tour' though.
Yeah, I really like Welcome and am never sure what I think about Grand Tour, but the last time I listened to it I thought it was pretty strong. I might swap them on a given day.
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Just out of interest how would people rank the albums since English Electric? So that's Folklore, Grimspound, Grand Tour, Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet? (Include Second Brightest Star if you like too).
Folklore
Grand Tour
Common Ground
Grimspound
Welcome To The Planet
The Second Brightest Star
The top two are pretty closely tied for me, likewise so are the middle two. They'd be like 1a/1b and 2a/2b for me, with WTTP in 3rd and TSBS in 4th.
I almost put Grimspound lower but then remembered it has "A Mead Hall In Winter", which is one of my absolute all-time favorite BBT songs.
-Marc.
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Folkore
Grimspound
Grand Tour
The Rest
Pretty much sums it up for me. From a strictly studio perspective, Folklore/Grimspound is the pinnacle for me. I find I prefer the live performances of the English Electric tracks more than the studio versions.
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Feels like Grimspound is a bit underrated by the fans. I love the title track, and Experimental Gentlemen, Meadhall, and As The Crow Flies are all excellent as well. On the Racing Line is a really cool instrumental, and Meadowland is another beautiful moment. Oddly, my least favorite song on the album is the fan favorite Brave Captain. Something about the mix on the album always felt off, and the song seems a bit repetitive to me. It does play well live though.
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Feels like Grimspound is a bit underrated by the fans. I love the title track, and Experimental Gentlemen, Meadhall, and As The Crow Flies are all excellent as well. On the Racing Line is a really cool instrumental, and Meadowland is another beautiful moment. Oddly, my least favorite song on the album is the fan favorite Brave Captain. Something about the mix on the album always felt off, and the song seems a bit repetitive to me. It does play well live though.
I agree, Grimspound is underrated, but every album since Longdon joined is excellent! I'd rank them like this -
Folklore
Grand Tour
Grimspound
Common Ground
Welcome To The Planet
The Second Brightest Star
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https://youtu.be/0C8R-rAKjW0
"Atlantic Cable" live in Aylesbury. It sounds and looks SO good.
-Marc.
Sounds amazing!!
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Folklore
Common Ground
Grand Tour
Grimspound
Welcome to the Planet
The Second Brightest Star
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Folklore
Grimspound
Grand Tour
Common Ground
Welcome To The Planet
The Second Brightest Star
I have to say that the 2009-2017 period is the one I'm most drawn to (culminating in the Merchants Of Light live release). For me there's a drop in quality starting with Grand Tour, and continuing with their last two. Still very good albums but not to the same high quality as the previous ones.
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The Second Brightest Star coming last is no surprise because of the recycled material that makes up the second half - but 'The Leaden Stour' is one of my favorite tracks by the band.
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The Second Brightest Star coming last is no surprise because of the recycled material that makes up the second half - but 'The Leaden Stour' is one of my favorite tracks by the band.
I'd say the same about the title track. What a lovely song.
-
https://youtu.be/0C8R-rAKjW0
"Atlantic Cable" live in Aylesbury. It sounds and looks SO good.
-Marc.
Sounds amazing!!
Indeed!
-
Band is currently all gathered together in Italy doing some recording as a band for the new album as well as rehearsing for the upcoming tour. Greg Spawton got to see Peter Gabriel last night at the amphitheater in Rome, which looked pretty awesome.
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Finally got tickets to see these guys in Scotland during our honeymoon, very excited! First time was Night of the Prog, now will see them on their own, and should be seeing them again next year on the cruise.
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Finally got tickets to see these guys in Scotland during our honeymoon, very excited! First time was Night of the Prog, now will see them on their own, and should be seeing them again next year on the cruise.
Now that’s what I call a fun honeymoon lol. How’s the bride to be taking this?
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Finally got tickets to see these guys in Scotland during our honeymoon, very excited! First time was Night of the Prog, now will see them on their own, and should be seeing them again next year on the cruise.
Now that’s what I call a fun honeymoon lol. How’s the bride to be taking this?
She got the destination she wanted (Scotland), and we'll be spending the entire rest of our 8 days there doing stuff she wants, so no complaints on my one night of music!
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Finally got tickets to see these guys in Scotland during our honeymoon, very excited! First time was Night of the Prog, now will see them on their own, and should be seeing them again next year on the cruise.
Now that’s what I call a fun honeymoon lol. How’s the bride to be taking this?
She got the destination she wanted (Scotland), and we'll be spending the entire rest of our 8 days there doing stuff she wants, so no complaints on my one night of music!
That’s awesome! Congrats on the pending nuptials and I’m jealous you’ll be seeing BBT lol. Enjoy!
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Greg posted some photos from the studio on Facebook and said they’re about half way through recording the new album. Interestingly, both Maria and Dave Foster are in the studio recording with the band.
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Greg posted some photos from the studio on Facebook and said they’re about half way through recording the new album. Interestingly, both Maria and Dave Foster are in the studio recording with the band.
Yeah, I noticed Dave was there the other day. Good to still have him aboard. Wonder if Rikard ends up focusing more on keyboards if they are gonna have two other lead guitarists in the band (though I did see Rikard with a guitar in some of the pictures).
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Greg posted some photos from the studio on Facebook and said they’re about half way through recording the new album. Interestingly, both Maria and Dave Foster are in the studio recording with the band.
Yeah, I noticed Dave was there the other day. Good to still have him aboard. Wonder if Rikard ends up focusing more on keyboards if they are gonna have two other lead guitarists in the band (though I did see Rikard with a guitar in some of the pictures).
There were a few pictures of Rikard with a guitar in his hands, which is fine by me, as I love his lead style and would prefer to hear him play even MORE guitar on the new album, if I’m being honest.
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BBT have had three guitarists before, so this isn't exactly new, AFAIK. Hopefully Rob Aubrey will make a fair and balanced mix that'll sound full and lush but also crystal clear!
-Marc.
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Some info and new pictures from the studio, including some short clips of new material over on the Facebook band forum.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10159655473308668/?app=fbl
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Some info and new pictures from the studio, including some short clips of new material over on the Facebook band forum.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10159655473308668/?app=fbl
I love the implication of 5-part vocal sections coming on the next album! The clips sound great and very much BBT! It's gonna be a long year wait for the next album!
-Marc.
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Some info and new pictures from the studio, including some short clips of new material over on the Facebook band forum.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10159655473308668/?app=fbl
I love the implication of 5-part vocal sections coming on the next album! The clips sound great and very much BBT! It's gonna be a long year wait for the next album!
-Marc.
Just saw this - yeah, it sound great! Can’t wait for the new album!!!
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"Apollo" live at The Boerderij (https://youtu.be/u7i3sGCv5hc)
Haven't seen it yet but I'm sure it sounds wonderful.
-Marc.
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"Apollo" live at The Boerderij (https://youtu.be/u7i3sGCv5hc)
Haven't seen it yet but I'm sure it sounds wonderful.
-Marc.
It does [/NarratorVoice]
-
Only had a chance to watch the first little bit, but excited to see the whole thing when I have time.
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"Apollo" live at The Boerderij (https://youtu.be/u7i3sGCv5hc)
Haven't seen it yet but I'm sure it sounds wonderful.
-Marc.
Just watched, it kicks ass!!
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Have I said how much of a fanboy I am of Rikard? Would love some more Gungfly stuff from him, but he is crushing it with BBT.
So c'mon, the production values on this are excellent. Clearly some money went into this. Where's the Blu-ray?
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Have I said how much of a fanboy I am of Rikard? Would love some more Gungfly stuff from him, but he is crushing it with BBT.
So c'mon, the production values on this are excellent. Clearly some money went into this. Where's the Blu-ray?
I would love nothing more than another hardcover mediabook with 2CDs and 1BD of this show. BBT's live releases have been nothing short of top-shelf and I'm sure they know their fans would plunk down money for this in an instant.
-Marc.
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So with the release of "Apollo" from last year's tour, we've now had eight songs from then released in some way shape or form, be it as Passengers Club audio, music video, or other outlets.
Master James Of St. George
Made From Sunshine
The First Rebreather
Atlantic Cable
The Florentine
Telling The Bees
Apollo
Snowfalls (Rehearsal)
These are the songs they played live that haven't been released (as far as I know):
Proper Jack Froster (Eastleigh, England only)
Summer's Lease (Eastleigh, England only)
Hedgerow
Bats In The Belfry
A Mead Hall In Winter
Last Eleven
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
East Coast Racer (Zoetermeer, Netherlands only)
Of course, of those, the newer ones would be more fun to see/hear live, like PJF, BITB, and LE. Everything else has been performed before last year and/or released live in other concert videos/CDs.
With the eight songs released, plus "Last Eleven", I cobbled together a 76:22 minute album for personal use as MP3s on my phone. I haven't had a chance to listen to all of it together at once, but I used Audacity to mix them and start each track at the start of the song since there's some talky-bits before each performance (I like to hear the song start if I click just the track when I have live albums digitally, especially if I want to jump right to a particular song).
Here's hoping that, if they don't release a full concert, that we get some of those other songs released somehow! I wouldn't mind a live compilation that contains all 16 tracks. They could all definitely fit on 2 CDs.
-Marc.
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Have I said how much of a fanboy I am of Rikard? Would love some more Gungfly stuff from him, but he is crushing it with BBT.
So c'mon, the production values on this are excellent. Clearly some money went into this. Where's the Blu-ray?
Me too..... dude is awesome!!
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(https://i.imgur.com/iFFngtT.jpg)
The Big Big Train live 2023 lineup.
Clare Lindley
Oskar Holldorff
Nick D'Virgilio
Alberto Bravin
Maria Barbieri (standing in for Dave Foster)
Rikard Sjöblom
Gregory Spawton
-
(https://i.imgur.com/iFFngtT.jpg)
The Big Big Train live 2023 lineup.
Clare Lindley
Oskar Holldorff
Nick D'Virgilio
Alberto Bravin
Maria Barbieri (standing in for Dave Foster)
Rikard Sjöblom
Gregory Spawton
As I've been listening to the recordings from the 2022 shows, it's occurred to me that that line-up (and this one) only feature two members from the English Electric days, and they're the rhythm section of Nick and Greg, the backbone of the band. That isn't to say Rikard isn't vital to them either, as his work from Folklore onward has been essential to the growth of the band since then.
While the band's line-up has changed A LOT in the last decade, they still sound like Big Big Train, and I applaud them for keeping that sonic cohesion but also adapting and evolving at the same time.
-Marc.
-
(https://i.imgur.com/iFFngtT.jpg)
The Big Big Train live 2023 lineup.
Clare Lindley
Oskar Holldorff
Nick D'Virgilio
Alberto Bravin
Maria Barbieri (standing in for Dave Foster)
Rikard Sjöblom
Gregory Spawton
As I've been listening to the recordings from the 2022 shows, it's occurred to me that that line-up (and this one) only feature two members from the English Electric days, and they're the rhythm section of Nick and Greg, the backbone of the band. That isn't to say Rikard isn't vital to them either, as his work from Folklore onward has been essential to the growth of the band since then.
While the band's line-up has changed A LOT in the last decade, they still sound like Big Big Train, and I applaud them for keeping that sonic cohesion but also adapting and evolving at the same time.
-Marc.
It’s a different band for sure, but the heart of BBT will always be Greg Spawton. It would be hard to replace NDV if he ever moved on, but I think the vision would carry on with Greg. Really interested to see what this group comes up with musically. Rikard is a well established member now, but everyone else is new or has been on just one or two albums (Dave Foster and Claire Langley). I think Oskar is a tremendous talent and will be a big asset to the band. And of course Alberto will play a big role in the shape of the band’s music going forward.
-
Nick Stilton had a blog about the recording sessions in Italy in the Passenger’s Club last week. Without giving away anything too proprietary, he noted the band had written 2 hours of material to choose from for the new album but that it won’t be a double album. Sounds like maybe they have enough material for multiple releases in the can (though he didn’t say if they recorded that much at the recent sessions).
I also thought it was interesting that he mentioned that NDV as well as Maria Barbieri were set to tour in Steven Wilson’s backing band prior to the pandemic. I know at one point Nick was offered to tour with SW back before he took his current job at Sweetwater, but I don’t recall hearing about more recent plans for him to play with SW’s band.
-
Nick Stilton had a blog about the recording sessions in Italy in the Passenger’s Club last week. Without giving away anything too proprietary, he noted the band had written 2 hours of material to choose from for the new album but that it won’t be a double album. Sounds like maybe they have enough material for multiple releases in the can (though he didn’t say if they recorded that much at the recent sessions).
I also thought it was interesting that he mentioned that NDV as well as Maria Barbieri were set to tour in Steven Wilson’s backing band prior to the pandemic. I know at one point Nick was offered to tour with SW back before he took his current job at Sweetwater, but I don’t recall hearing about more recent plans for him to play with SW’s band.
I could see them pulling a Folklore/Grimspound deal again and saving that other hour of material for a "surprise" release, announcing it a month or two before release date. It would not surprise me if we got two albums next year and they toured after the 2nd release, giving them two hours of NEW material to play live with the current line-up. It seems that August/September seems to be their preferred touring months, so an early 2024 release for the first album means a second could come in the summer, just before another string of shows in late summer 2024. Either way, two hours of new music in the pipeline is VERY exciting.
-Marc.
-
Nick Stilton had a blog about the recording sessions in Italy in the Passenger’s Club last week. Without giving away anything too proprietary, he noted the band had written 2 hours of material to choose from for the new album but that it won’t be a double album. Sounds like maybe they have enough material for multiple releases in the can (though he didn’t say if they recorded that much at the recent sessions).
I also thought it was interesting that he mentioned that NDV as well as Maria Barbieri were set to tour in Steven Wilson’s backing band prior to the pandemic. I know at one point Nick was offered to tour with SW back before he took his current job at Sweetwater, but I don’t recall hearing about more recent plans for him to play with SW’s band.
Interesting, I didn't know NDV was going to tour with SW. And great news on the 2 hours of new music! Hopefully they do two releases as The Letter M suggested. The more new BBT the better!!!
-
After really getting into some of the recent live clips that have been released, I've decided that this will be the summer of BBT for me and I'm devoting essentially one week to each album. I started at The Underfall Yard and I'm going forward chronologically, and I'll be including live releases.
First up was The Underfall Yard, which is just a masterpiece and creeping in on all-time top ten status for me. Every song is just gorgeous. Victorian Brickwork is probably my favorite, but every song here rates "solidly above average" at a minimum.
Last week was English Electric: Full Power. Another dynamite album, the highs are right there with the previous record, it's just not quite as consistently excellent as its predecessor (which is understandable given the much longer runtime). Favorites include First Rebreather, A Boy In Darkness, Keeper of Abbeys, and of course East Coast Racer. I do have to say though, Leopards is an absolute dud for me, I often had to fight the urge to skip it.
This week I'm working on Folklore. My initial impression is that it's a step down from the previous two albums. The material is fine, nothing that falls flat like Leopards, but nothing aside from Wassail is really popping for me the way so much of the first two albums did.
-
After really getting into some of the recent live clips that have been released, I've decided that this will be the summer of BBT for me and I'm devoting essentially one week to each album. I started at The Underfall Yard and I'm going forward chronologically, and I'll be including live releases.
First up was The Underfall Yard, which is just a masterpiece and creeping in on all-time top ten status for me. Every song is just gorgeous. Victorian Brickwork is probably my favorite, but every song here rates "solidly above average" at a minimum.
Last week was English Electric: Full Power. Another dynamite album, the highs are right there with the previous record, it's just not quite as consistently excellent as its predecessor (which is understandable given the much longer runtime). Favorites include First Rebreather, A Boy In Darkness, Keeper of Abbeys, and of course East Coast Racer. I do have to say though, Leopards is an absolute dud for me, I often had to fight the urge to skip it.
This week I'm working on Folklore. My initial impression is that it's a step down from the previous two albums. The material is fine, nothing that falls flat like Leopards, but nothing aside from Wassail is really popping for me the way so much of the first two albums did.
Enjoy the journey, I did the same thing 2 years ago, and now they're my third favorite band of all-time (only behind Rush and Dream Theater). Hang in there with Folklore, it's one of my favorites (London Plane, Along the Ridgeway/Salisbury Giant, Transit of Venus, Brooklands), as good as it gets a far as I'm concerned!
-
After really getting into some of the recent live clips that have been released, I've decided that this will be the summer of BBT for me and I'm devoting essentially one week to each album. I started at The Underfall Yard and I'm going forward chronologically, and I'll be including live releases.
First up was The Underfall Yard, which is just a masterpiece and creeping in on all-time top ten status for me. Every song is just gorgeous. Victorian Brickwork is probably my favorite, but every song here rates "solidly above average" at a minimum.
Last week was English Electric: Full Power. Another dynamite album, the highs are right there with the previous record, it's just not quite as consistently excellent as its predecessor (which is understandable given the much longer runtime). Favorites include First Rebreather, A Boy In Darkness, Keeper of Abbeys, and of course East Coast Racer. I do have to say though, Leopards is an absolute dud for me, I often had to fight the urge to skip it.
This week I'm working on Folklore. My initial impression is that it's a step down from the previous two albums. The material is fine, nothing that falls flat like Leopards, but nothing aside from Wassail is really popping for me the way so much of the first two albums did.
Enjoy the journey! You might prefer the original versions of English Electric (part 1 and 2) which is a little more concise. But man, I love Leopards. Some excellent guitar work by Dave Gregory on that one. I also think Folklore is really strong, but probably a little less immediate than TUY or EE.
Also, you seem to have skipped the Far Skies Deep Time EP which came between The Underfall Yard and English Electric. It’s essentially a whole album, with some of my favorite BBT songs (Kingmaker, British Racing Green, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, The Wide Open Sea, and the cover of Master of Time). Definitely need to check that one out as it’s kind of a companion to The Underfall Yard.
-
After really getting into some of the recent live clips that have been released, I've decided that this will be the summer of BBT for me and I'm devoting essentially one week to each album. I started at The Underfall Yard and I'm going forward chronologically, and I'll be including live releases.
First up was The Underfall Yard, which is just a masterpiece and creeping in on all-time top ten status for me. Every song is just gorgeous. Victorian Brickwork is probably my favorite, but every song here rates "solidly above average" at a minimum.
Last week was English Electric: Full Power. Another dynamite album, the highs are right there with the previous record, it's just not quite as consistently excellent as its predecessor (which is understandable given the much longer runtime). Favorites include First Rebreather, A Boy In Darkness, Keeper of Abbeys, and of course East Coast Racer. I do have to say though, Leopards is an absolute dud for me, I often had to fight the urge to skip it.
This week I'm working on Folklore. My initial impression is that it's a step down from the previous two albums. The material is fine, nothing that falls flat like Leopards, but nothing aside from Wassail is really popping for me the way so much of the first two albums did.
Enjoy the journey, I did the same thing 2 years ago, and now they're my third favorite band of all-time (only behind Rush and Dream Theater). Hang in there with Folklore, it's one of my favorites (London Plane, Along the Ridgeway/Salisbury Giant, Transit of Venus, Brooklands), as good as it gets a far as I'm concerned!
Don't get me wrong, I quite like pretty much all the songs you mentioned, just the previous two albums set an almost impossible bar.
After really getting into some of the recent live clips that have been released, I've decided that this will be the summer of BBT for me and I'm devoting essentially one week to each album. I started at The Underfall Yard and I'm going forward chronologically, and I'll be including live releases.
First up was The Underfall Yard, which is just a masterpiece and creeping in on all-time top ten status for me. Every song is just gorgeous. Victorian Brickwork is probably my favorite, but every song here rates "solidly above average" at a minimum.
Last week was English Electric: Full Power. Another dynamite album, the highs are right there with the previous record, it's just not quite as consistently excellent as its predecessor (which is understandable given the much longer runtime). Favorites include First Rebreather, A Boy In Darkness, Keeper of Abbeys, and of course East Coast Racer. I do have to say though, Leopards is an absolute dud for me, I often had to fight the urge to skip it.
This week I'm working on Folklore. My initial impression is that it's a step down from the previous two albums. The material is fine, nothing that falls flat like Leopards, but nothing aside from Wassail is really popping for me the way so much of the first two albums did.
Enjoy the journey! You might prefer the original versions of English Electric (part 1 and 2) which is a little more concise. But man, I love Leopards. Some excellent guitar work by Dave Gregory on that one. I also think Folklore is really strong, but probably a little less immediate than TUY or EE.
Also, you seem to have skipped the Far Skies Deep Time EP which came between The Underfall Yard and English Electric. It’s essentially a whole album, with some of my favorite BBT songs (Kingmaker, British Racing Green, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, The Wide Open Sea, and the cover of Master of Time). Definitely need to check that one out as it’s kind of a companion to The Underfall Yard.
So I did, I checked the studio and live albums on the BBT discography wiki page but neglected to scroll down to the EPs. I'll circle around to them as well :tup
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Update: My view of Folklore was largely the same at the end of the week. A lot of really lovely material but has the unenvious task of following in the wake of two absolute masterpieces. I'm on to A Stone's Throw from the Line this week, man what a setlist and what a performance.
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Stone's Throw is my favorite live album of theirs. Got way more listens than just about anything else. The version of East Coast Racer on it is my absolute favorite version of that track.
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Merchants Of Light is my favourite live album, that version of Swan Hunter is brilliant.
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Update: My view of Folklore was largely the same at the end of the week. A lot of really lovely material but has the unenvious task of following in the wake of two absolute masterpieces. I'm on to A Stone's Throw from the Line this week, man what a setlist and what a performance.
There was a slight shift in their style with Folklore, that while I too prefer the 2 albums before it (EEFP is my favorite album of theirs, and one of my favorite albums of all-time!), I find refreshing. And while I would agree, that I'd rate TUY and EE slightly above Folklore, it just depends on the mood I'm in as to which I'd rather listen to on any given day. All 5 star records IMO!
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Very nice interview with Greg. Towards the end he mentions there are plans to reissue the entire catalog “hopefully within the next three years.” Though it sounds like they are trying to decide on ways to creat “extra value” for people who already own them. There may be some extras or tweaks here or there. Again mentioned Barf being remixed but sounds like they are still working out some sort of bonus track featuring the current lineup.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=057Vx6JL0MI&feature=share
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Very nice interview with Greg. Towards the end he mentions there are plans to reissue the entire catalog “hopefully within the next three years.” Though it sounds like they are trying to decide on ways to creat “extra value” for people who already own them. There may be some extras or tweaks here or there. Again mentioned Barf being remixed but sounds like they are still working out some sort of bonus track featuring the current lineup.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=057Vx6JL0MI&feature=share
:rollin "Barf" - hey, it's not THAT bad...
-Marc.
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Looking forward to some reissues. I need Folklore and EE:FP at the very least. Sort of wouldn't mind some vinyl reissues as well. I would snap up Folklore on vinyl in a heartbeat.
Never heard Barf, aside from the band was never very fond of it. I mean, no one likes to barf.
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Very nice interview with Greg. Towards the end he mentions there are plans to reissue the entire catalog “hopefully within the next three years.” Though it sounds like they are trying to decide on ways to creat “extra value” for people who already own them. There may be some extras or tweaks here or there. Again mentioned Barf being remixed but sounds like they are still working out some sort of bonus track featuring the current lineup.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=057Vx6JL0MI&feature=share
:rollin "Barf" - hey, it's not THAT bad...
-Marc.
Freudian slip! Actually, I’ve never heard it so I’m looking forward to the reissue!
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Someone should suggest to Greg to finally release English Electric as the Full Power version in a glorious 3LP box set instead of another reissue of the individual EE1 & 2. I think the Full Power version is the ultimate one.
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My short review and thoughts on Ingenious Devices, posted in the BBT Forum on Facebook.
The newest addition to the BBT collection has arrived and it is a beauty.
Every track sounds lush and full but also crisp and clear. There's new life in each epic and the new strings-only bridging piece provides a nice, soothing break between the first two lengthy songs.
One might find hearing "nothing but epics" a bit tiring but the band have carefully crafted these lengthy tracks to ebb and flow in a manner that feels like each song is an album in of themselves, with highs and lows that tell their stories musically as well as lyrically. Each piece is a journey, and while we've gone on these journeys many times, revisiting these songs with new arrangements and instrumentation makes them fresh again.
While the non-die-hard fans may look at Ingenious Devices and think it's just merely a compilation, it is far more than that. This is an album that shows pride in their past and shines new light on now-classic songs, but also ends with a step towards the future of the band with the 2022 live version of "Atlantic Cable". Like "The Book Of Ingenious Devices", this album is a link between eras of the band, and is as essential as anything else in their catalog. Don't let this train pass you by! Full steam ahead!
After a few spins, I'm definitely in love and in full BBT music mode again. It's been awhile since I've gone back into BBT and hearing the band is Homecoming. homecoming.
If you haven't ordered this yet, do it now! Thebandwagonusa.com have begun shipping their CD and vinyl orders so they're in stock!
-Marc.
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Just got mine today. Waiting to dive in.
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I ordered it from Laser CD. Still waiting on that shipping notice.
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Just came home from a trip to find my Ingenious Devices vinyl waiting for me. Can't wait to check it out.
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I ordered it from Laser CD. Still waiting on that shipping notice.
Hopefully you get it soon! Laser CD are usually pretty good about getting their packages out by release date.
Just got mine today. Waiting to dive in.
Have you had a chance to listen yet? I've spun it quite a few times now and each time through, I hear new things in each ECE and Brooklands.
Just came home from a trip to find my Ingenious Devices vinyl waiting for me. Can't wait to check it out.
Sweet! The only downside that the vinyl has over the CD is that there are no crossfades/segues between the first four tracks, especially between the first three as "The Book Of Ingenious Devices" links ECR and Brooklands.
I also realized that, if you count ECR from EEFP, that all four of the epics on this album are the penultimate tracks from their respective albums.
-Marc.
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I've given it several spins now in a couple different settings. It all sounds really nice, and it's definitely an enjoyable presentation of these three works (plus the live performance is excellent as well).
My deeper thoughts are that I don't love how the orchestra interacts with East Coast Racer as much as I hoped. There's almost too much going on in places, and it feels like some of the parts suffer from it. The impact of the brass band in particular feels muted. There also isn't as much room for the track to breath and crescendo at the end. They REALLY have to amp it up at the end to get the same impact heading into "and into history..." as on the original. Which is kind of cool in it's own way, but it doesn't flow as effortlessly as the original. Having the additional live ending on a studio recording is cool, but also not especially different than just having the live versions themselves which are great. I'm glad to have it, but I don't think I will ever prefer it to the original (but give it time I guess). It feels a lot like the re-recorded Victorian Brickwork. Just can't really compete with the perfection of the originals.
The interlude into Brooklands is really nice, and Brooklands itself really does take on a whole new dimension. When I first heard the preview track of this a few months back, I wasn't too keen on the drum sound, and it does still seem a little bombastic in places, but I've found myself really enjoying this new version nonetheless. I never felt there was anything wrong with the original Brooklands (always a favorite from Follklore), and I certainly didn't think it was outshone by the other two as Greg suggests it might have been, but I do think this version is exciting and dynamic and the strings play better with it than on ECR. That may be in part because there is no brass for them to detract from. The instrumental passages really soar here. I'd definitely say Brooklands is the highlight of this release.
Voyager is almost identical to the Grand Tour version, except that they added Rachel's violin run from the Empire performance right at the end (Greg mentioned they actually just dropped in the audio from the live concert since she had already left the band by the time they put this together). I think that's a fine little flourish and it's good to have something to distinguish this version from the original, but it does cover up the little organ bit that hits before the band comes in, which was always one of my favorite parts of the song. In all though, I would say this package does a good job of presenting these three pieces as a coherent grouping of songs. It's a good listen for sure.
Atlantic Cable is one of the few Greg-penned epics that I don't love so much. It does have it's moments (the middle instrumental section is tremendous), but I feel like the track meanders too much before the verses start, and then I don't really love the verses themselves. All that said, the live performance is great. Alberto actually sounds a lot like David on the verses, and I kind of had to do a double take when I first heard them. In places I feel like his performance doesn't quite match the power of David's, but I suspect some of that is just due to it not really being his song. It's tough to perform other people's songs as well as something that is your own work. I'm really looking forward to new BBT music with Alberto to get a better sense of how he gels with the band.
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https://youtu.be/OgsSSlPVTLE
The Transit Of Venus, live at the Boerderij.
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https://youtu.be/OgsSSlPVTLE
The Transit Of Venus, live at the Boerderij.
I was just about to post this. Very nice performance! I really hope they decide to release the whole Zoetermeer show in some format!
-Marc.
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https://youtu.be/OgsSSlPVTLE
The Transit Of Venus, live at the Boerderij.
I was just about to post this. Very nice performance! I really hope they decide to release the whole Zoetermeer show in some format!
-Marc.
Just getting around to seeing this, and it was fantastic for sure!
Nick also posted a play-through of the middle section of Brooklands today. Why he's the best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSDza6-IH_Q
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Only one listen through on Ingenious Devices, but it seems lovely. This week though the focus has been on From Stone and Steel. I have to say, even though A Stone's Throw from the Line has the bigger/better setlist I do find myself drawn to this one. Something about the sound and performances just works for me. I may try to A/B some of the tracks common to both of those this weekend.
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Ingenious Devices is incredible. I never thought much of Brooklands before, but this new version really brings the song to life.
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https://youtu.be/1yIrIR0Rp64
WIld River, the debut solo album from the late Big Big Train singer David Longdon, is to be reissued in re-mixed, re-mastered and expanded form through English Electric Recordings on October 12.
Originally released in 2004, Wild River has been out of print for some time, although Longdon always had plans to remix and re-package the album. Longdon's tragic death in November 2021 meant this never happened. However, in a final act of remembrance by his long-time colleague and Big Big Train's noted engineer Rob Aubrey, Longdon’s wishes have now been fulfilled. The album packaging has also been re-designed by Longdon’s friend and collaborator Steve Vantsis.
“It still fills me with sadness that he’s gone, but Wild River needed to be made available again as it is such a strong album," says Aubrey.
"David was really proud of those songs,” adds Longdon's partner Sarah Ewing. “He produced and engineered the album himself, but always felt that the recording, the production and the mix never quite met his expectations. Over the years he became much more skilled at his craft, and had he been alive now, he would have been able to deliver the album the way he always wanted it to be. He’d also always wanted to improve the cover art, but at the time he’d spent all his money on the recording and mixing.
"David was really proud of those songs,” adds Longdon's partner Sarah Ewing. “He produced and engineered the album himself, but always felt that the recording, the production and the mix never quite met his expectations. Over the years he became much more skilled at his craft, and had he been alive now, he would have been able to deliver the album the way he always wanted it to be. He’d also always wanted to improve the cover art, but at the time he’d spent all his money on the recording and mixing.
“I don’t think it sounds like an album that’s 20 years old; it sounds very immediate and contemporary and that speaks of David’s talent. It’s hard for me to be objective, but I hear the younger David and in that regard it’s a beautiful time capsule."
Wild River will be released on limited edition green and daffodil yellow coloured double vinyl as well as black vinyl and 2CD and digital formats. You can see the new albukm artwork and tracklisiting below.
Vinyl formats of the album feature four songs recorded live in 2004, while the CD format features nine live songs. The vinyl and CD formats all feature a bonus studio track not available on the 2004 edition of the album, while the CD format also includes an extended version of one song from the studio recordings.
David Longdon: Wild River
Vinyl edition
Side 1
1. Always
2. Honey Trap
3. Mandy
4. About Time
5. Vertigo
Side 2
1.Wild River
2. Loving & Giving
3. In Essence
4. This House
Side 3
1. Joely
2. Falling Down To Earth
3. On To The Headland
4. Beyond Belief
Side 4
1. Every Silver Lining (Live)
2. April Fool (Live)
4. Can I Come With You? (Live)
5. Pipe Dream (Live)
CD version
CD 1
1. Always
2. Honey Trap
3. Mandy
4. About Time
5. Vertigo
6. Wild River
7. Loving & Giving
8. In Essence
9. This House
10. Joely
11. Falling Down To Earth
12. On To The Headland
CD2
1. Always (Live)
2. Every Silver Lining (Live)
3. Loving & Giving (Live)
4. April Fool (Live)
5. Falling Down To Earth (Live)
6. Can I Come With You? (Live)
7. Pipe Dream (Live)
8. Mandy (Live)
9. Wild River (Live)
10. On To The Headland (Extended Version with Poem)
11. Beyond Belief
https://burningshed.com/store/english-electric-recordings
https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/david-longdon
-Marc.
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Really excited for this.
They also posted a video for the song “Always.”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hObZhPkcerM&pp=QAFIAQ%3D%3D
Whenever I hear younger David, I’m kind of struck with sadness that he was only able to make a small amount of music in that timeframe. Not that he didn’t leave us with a robust body of work in BBT, but his voice was really remarkable when he was younger (and certainly when he was older as well).
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I just watched the video this morning. It was a little confusing, as the description said it was the single from his first solo album. I have Door One, and it's not from that album. So I read on, and it's from the remastered/remixed version released (past tense) in November 2023, which confused me even more. Eventually it got to the part where they mention that Wild River was from 2004 and only had limited release. I had no idea that it ever existed.
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Crickets from Laser CD on the new disc. Hasn't shipped and the site still has it stuck in pre-order mode. Quite surprised by this.
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Crickets from Laser CD on the new disc. Hasn't shipped and the site still has it stuck in pre-order mode. Quite surprised by this.
That is very odd. I wonder if there was a hold-up on their shipments. I know Rita at The Band Wagon USA (BBT's official shop for North America) got her shipments in early, and I managed to get my copy nearly two-weeks before release, though I feel like that's quite an exception.
Ever since The Band Wagon USA has been the band's official shop for the states, I've been ordering there since they're quite reliable and often get my orders to me before release day.
Hopefully your order from Laser CD comes through!
-Marc.
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Crickets from Laser CD on the new disc. Hasn't shipped and the site still has it stuck in pre-order mode. Quite surprised by this.
I’m sure they just haven’t gotten their stock in, as there were some production issues that delayed Bandwagon getting their full order. I still got mine by release day, but she sent an email saying she was waiting for the rest of the stock and some orders might be late. Surprising that Laser CD isn’t giving updates though.
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Crickets from Laser CD on the new disc. Hasn't shipped and the site still has it stuck in pre-order mode. Quite surprised by this.
I’m sure they just haven’t gotten their stock in, as there were some production issues that delayed Bandwagon getting their full order. I still got mine by release day, but she sent an email saying she was waiting for the rest of the stock and some orders might be late. Surprising that Laser CD isn’t giving updates though.
Well, that's good to hear. If Bandwagon was having issues and they are the official US store then I expect Laser to be even later. Not a big deal. I trust that Ken will get them in and sent out eventually. Not in a super hurry for this.
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Bought it in Tower Records in Shibuya, Tokyo today. But since I am in Japan without a player I will have to wait until I get home to listen.
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I continued on my BBT deep dive with Grimspound this week. My overall reaction is similar to Folklore, very very good but just a tier below the first two albums. Overall maybe a darker vibe, I felt like more piano than prior albums. The Ivy Gate and A Mead Hall in Winter is a killer 1-2 punch towards the end of the album.
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I continued on my BBT deep dive with Grimspound this week. My overall reaction is similar to Folklore, very very good but just a tier below the first two albums. Overall maybe a darker vibe, I felt like more piano than prior albums. The Ivy Gate and A Mead Hall in Winter is a killer 1-2 punch towards the end of the album.
I think Grimspound is a bit overlooked/underrated in the BBT catalog. In addition to Meadhall (which I think is a fan favorite), Meadowlands, Experimental Gentlemen, the title track (one of my BBT favorites), and As the Crow Flies are all outstanding. On The Racing Line is also great. Ironically, the other fan fan favorite here is Brave Captain, which I have always felt falls a little flat (but plays better live for whatever reason).
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Very cool solo instrumental track by Maria Barbieri posted this morning.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AlIA5mbSfOo&feature=youtu.be
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I continued on my BBT deep dive with Grimspound this week. My overall reaction is similar to Folklore, very very good but just a tier below the first two albums. Overall maybe a darker vibe, I felt like more piano than prior albums. The Ivy Gate and A Mead Hall in Winter is a killer 1-2 punch towards the end of the album.
I think Grimspound is a bit overlooked/underrated in the BBT catalog. In addition to Meadhall (which I think is a fan favorite), Meadowlands, Experimental Gentlemen, the title track (one of my BBT favorites), and As the Crow Flies are all outstanding. On The Racing Line is also great. Ironically, the other fan fan favorite here is Brave Captain, which I have always felt falls a little flat (but plays better live for whatever reason).
Love Grimspond (love all their albums really)! But yes, Brave Captain really comes to life live. The version on Summer Shall not Fade is kick ass!
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I really like Grimspound, with A Mead Hall In Winter being the standout track for me. Brave Captain is great too.
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The vocal harmonies for the chorus of Mead Hall give me goosebumps every single time. Looks like The Second Brightest Star is up for me tomorrow.
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Reached out to Ken at Laser today and he told me he filled pre-orders today, not mine it seems, and is expecting more stock later this week. I'll get it eventually.
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Another week, another album down. The Second Brightest Star (while still good) is on a slightly lower tier than everything that came before it for me, if only due to maybe the 30 best minutes of music on the album being reworks of songs they had previously released. It starts off strong, if somberly, with the title track and some absolute fire guitar work in the second half of the song. I'm also quite fond of the London Stone -> The Passing Window -> The Leaden Stour sequence. That all said, Brooklands and London Plane are two absolute gems from their original albums, and so undoubtedly the high point of this one. Next up, Merchants of Light.
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Another week, another album down. The Second Brightest Star (while still good) is on a slightly lower tier than everything that came before it for me, if only due to maybe the 30 best minutes of music on the album being reworks of songs they had previously released. It starts off strong, if somberly, with the title track and some absolute fire guitar work in the second half of the song. I'm also quite fond of the London Stone -> The Passing Window -> The Leaden Stour sequence. That all said, Brooklands and London Plane are two absolute gems from their original albums, and so undoubtedly the high point of this one. Next up, Merchants of Light.
I love The Leaden Stour and Terra Astralis Incognita, and the full London Plane Sequence is the essential version of that track. But this is easily my least favorite BBT release (even including the pre-Longdon stuff, which is all excellent). I also mostly listen to songs like London Stone and Skylon in the context of London Song.
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Emailed Ken at Laser again over the weekend as they now had Ingenious up for sale on the website as being in stock and my preorder from January was still not fulfilled. He replied that he would check today and if it wasn't shipped he would get it shipped. Just got an email that it is being shipped. Took longer than it should have, but I should hopefully have this by the end of the week.
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Another week, another album down. The Second Brightest Star (while still good) is on a slightly lower tier than everything that came before it for me, if only due to maybe the 30 best minutes of music on the album being reworks of songs they had previously released. It starts off strong, if somberly, with the title track and some absolute fire guitar work in the second half of the song. I'm also quite fond of the London Stone -> The Passing Window -> The Leaden Stour sequence. That all said, Brooklands and London Plane are two absolute gems from their original albums, and so undoubtedly the high point of this one. Next up, Merchants of Light.
I love The Leaden Stour and Terra Astralis Incognita, and the full London Plane Sequence is the essential version of that track. But this is easily my least favorite BBT release (even including the pre-Longdon stuff, which is all excellent). I also mostly listen to songs like London Stone and Skylon in the context of London Song.
Easily my least favorite as well. It's the only BBT album I rarely revisit. Every other album is still in my current listening rotation.
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Emailed Ken at Laser again over the weekend as they now had Ingenious up for sale on the website as being in stock and my preorder from January was still not fulfilled. He replied that he would check today and if it wasn't shipped he would get it shipped. Just got an email that it is being shipped. Took longer than it should have, but I should hopefully have this by the end of the week.
:tup
Glad it’s finally on the way!
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Got my copy yesterday and got almost a full listen in.
East Coast Racer - I liked it, for the most part. I had some issues with the mix. Certain keyboard parts were far too quiet and the horns did not have the power or authority like they should. I don't think anything will top the version from Stone's Throw which has become an all time favorite song of mine.
Book / Brooklands - When I ripped the album I merged these 2 together. Like most, I never had an issue with the original Brooklands. I will say, one word kept coming to mind when listening to this and that was brighter. The whole song feels brighter and more up, if you get my gist. I really enjoyed this version.
Voyager - Didn't listen yet.
Atlantic Cable - I loved this in the video and the little I was able to listen to from the CD was fantastic. The mix, the instruments, everything sounds awesome. Really want this show released.
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Got my copy yesterday and got almost a full listen in.
East Coast Racer - I liked it, for the most part. I had some issues with the mix. Certain keyboard parts were far too quiet and the horns did not have the power or authority like they should. I don't think anything will top the version from Stone's Throw which has become an all time favorite song of mine.
Book / Brooklands - When I ripped the album I merged these 2 together. Like most, I never had an issue with the original Brooklands. I will say, one word kept coming to mind when listening to this and that was brighter. The whole song feels brighter and more up, if you get my gist. I really enjoyed this version.
Voyager - Didn't listen yet.
Atlantic Cable - I loved this in the video and the little I was able to listen to from the CD was fantastic. The mix, the instruments, everything sounds awesome. Really want this show released.
I spun this again the other day after a little time away from it. I can pretty confidently say that I don’t love the new ECR. I agree that the mix feels almost flat in places, the horns are obscured, and the new instrumentation is just too busy. Even the ending, while powerful, is just less graceful. It’s an interesting alternate take, but I don’t think it improves on the original in any aspect.
I still love this version of Brooklands though, and I do appreciate having all of these together. Still a nice piece for the BBT collection.
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Got my copy yesterday and got almost a full listen in.
East Coast Racer - I liked it, for the most part. I had some issues with the mix. Certain keyboard parts were far too quiet and the horns did not have the power or authority like they should. I don't think anything will top the version from Stone's Throw which has become an all time favorite song of mine.
Book / Brooklands - When I ripped the album I merged these 2 together. Like most, I never had an issue with the original Brooklands. I will say, one word kept coming to mind when listening to this and that was brighter. The whole song feels brighter and more up, if you get my gist. I really enjoyed this version.
Voyager - Didn't listen yet.
Atlantic Cable - I loved this in the video and the little I was able to listen to from the CD was fantastic. The mix, the instruments, everything sounds awesome. Really want this show released.
I spun this again the other day after a little time away from it. I can pretty confidently say that I don’t love the new ECR. I agree that the mix feels almost flat in places, the horns are obscured, and the new instrumentation is just too busy. Even the ending, while powerful, is just less graceful. It’s an interesting alternate take, but I don’t think it improves on the original in any aspect.
I still love this version of Brooklands though, and I do appreciate having all of these together. Still a nice piece for the BBT collection.
I agree with you guys on ECR. The horns are what really builds the tension leading to the crescendo and "She Fliessss" on the original version. This version its muted with the focus on the strings and it's just not the same - and that's too bad. Digging the additions to the other songs though!
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Merchants of Light was great to spend last week with, just a very strong setlist. On to The Grand Tour this week.
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Merchants of Light was great to spend last week with, just a very strong setlist. On to The Grand Tour this week.
That's my favourite of their live releases. Swan Hunter is magnificient on this one.
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'About Time' is the second single from David Longdon's remixed and remastered album 'Wild River'. It available now on all streaming platforms. The video is by Steve Cadman.
https://youtu.be/cwIlZN8Rnfs
Another video single from the forthcoming re-release of Longdon's first solo album is now out!
-Marc.
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'About Time' is the second single from David Longdon's remixed and remastered album 'Wild River'. It available now on all streaming platforms. The video is by Steve Cadman.
https://youtu.be/cwIlZN8Rnfs
Another video single from the forthcoming re-release of Longdon's first solo album is now out!
-Marc.
That was quite enjoyable. I couldn't help but hear some bits of "Alive" in that. Just me?
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I’m only half way through this interview, but Greg let out that the band are signing with a record company and that news of that will be out soon. That is a pretty major shift for this band.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yyDK4woow
Hopefully it is someone like InsideOut who understands prog and who BBT are, but it also kind of sounds like he expects a certain measure of record company input going forward. Interesting.
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Ingenious Devices is now available on streaming services from today.
And there's major BBT news coming early next week.
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
Could be an announcement for both. They announced Ingenious Devices with a six-month lead time, and I recall hearing that the new BBT album would be early 2024, so perhaps them announcing their new record label deal AND a new album would be great.
Maybe this means they'll also repress their older albums for new fans to buy. I wonder if these new editions will include anything that will make me want to buy them again (for the third or fourth time). I'm a rabid BBT Passenger, what can I say. :lol
But if it isn't either the new label deal or a new album, maybe it'll be the long-awaited BARD re-issue/remix/remaster that they've been not-so-secretly working on for a few years! That would be a heck of a way to kick-start their new label deal - re-release Bard and their first two albums as a way to get their early work re-issued out right away before re-releasing their more recent (past decade) stuff.
-Marc.
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
Could be an announcement for both. They announced Ingenious Devices with a six-month lead time, and I recall hearing that the new BBT album would be early 2024, so perhaps them announcing their new record label deal AND a new album would be great.
Maybe this means they'll also repress their older albums for new fans to buy. I wonder if these new editions will include anything that will make me want to buy them again (for the third or fourth time). I'm a rabid BBT Passenger, what can I say. :lol
But if it isn't either the new label deal or a new album, maybe it'll be the long-awaited BARD re-issue/remix/remaster that they've been not-so-secretly working on for a few years! That would be a heck of a way to kick-start their new label deal - re-release Bard and their first two albums as a way to get their early work re-issued out right away before re-releasing their more recent (past decade) stuff.
-Marc.
You know what would be interesting would be if English Electric Recordings was coming under the umbrella of a bigger company. Something that would give them more funding to operate with and allow them to outsource the operations a bit, but the music and properties would still be under the band's control.
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
Could be an announcement for both. They announced Ingenious Devices with a six-month lead time, and I recall hearing that the new BBT album would be early 2024, so perhaps them announcing their new record label deal AND a new album would be great.
Maybe this means they'll also repress their older albums for new fans to buy. I wonder if these new editions will include anything that will make me want to buy them again (for the third or fourth time). I'm a rabid BBT Passenger, what can I say. :lol
But if it isn't either the new label deal or a new album, maybe it'll be the long-awaited BARD re-issue/remix/remaster that they've been not-so-secretly working on for a few years! That would be a heck of a way to kick-start their new label deal - re-release Bard and their first two albums as a way to get their early work re-issued out right away before re-releasing their more recent (past decade) stuff.
-Marc.
You know what would be interesting would be if English Electric Recordings was coming under the umbrella of a bigger company. Something that would give them more funding to operate with and allow them to outsource the operations a bit, but the music and properties would still be under the band's control.
I wouldn't mind that. Part of the reason I love the BBT discography is the uniformity with which their releases have had, all with their EER code numbers on the spine and being fairly uniform in terms of style and packaging. I hope that doesn't change too much going forward, although it seems like from here on out, we're in the Bravin-Era of the band, so maybe some subtle changes aren't a bad thing. Perhaps whatever changes they make going forward will include similar releases of the back catalog to match future albums? That would be one way to keep things consistent for recent and future fans of the band.
Either way, things sound very exciting for the immediate future of Big Big Train!
-Marc.
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
I'm guessing this correct and then the new album would be released before Cruise to the Edge in March. Let's cross our fingers they'll also announce some US shows before or after the Cruise promoting the new album!
Question - have they announced any sort of working title for the new album?
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
I'm guessing this correct and then the new album would be released before Cruise to the Edge in March. Let's cross our fingers they'll also announce some US shows before or after the Cruise promoting the new album!
Question - have they announced any sort of working title for the new album?
I don't recall hearing any sort of working title. One other thing Greg mentioned is that they plan to debut some new songs on this tour, so that will be interesting.
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I imagine the major news is that they are signing with a record label. But Greg did also say the new album is in the mixing stages, and with 6 month lead times for new albums these days I guess they could be teasing a January or February 2024 release date for the new album.
I'm guessing this correct and then the new album would be released before Cruise to the Edge in March. Let's cross our fingers they'll also announce some US shows before or after the Cruise promoting the new album!
Question - have they announced any sort of working title for the new album?
I don't recall hearing any sort of working title. One other thing Greg mentioned is that they plan to debut some new songs on this tour, so that will be interesting.
That will be interesting. Maybe they'll release another single this summer before the shows like they did last year with Last Eleven.
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I’m only half way through this interview, but Greg let out that the band are signing with a record company and that news of that will be out soon. That is a pretty major shift for this band.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yyDK4woow
Hopefully it is someone like InsideOut who understands prog and who BBT are, but it also kind of sounds like he expects a certain measure of record company input going forward. Interesting.
I'm watching this interview now. Interesting that he says the two albums they recorded during the pandemic (Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet) were not "the best set of releases that they've made" - and that there was probably one good album's worth of material that they could've made, but they end up recording two albums just to make use of the time they had on their hands.
-
I’m only half way through this interview, but Greg let out that the band are signing with a record company and that news of that will be out soon. That is a pretty major shift for this band.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yyDK4woow
Hopefully it is someone like InsideOut who understands prog and who BBT are, but it also kind of sounds like he expects a certain measure of record company input going forward. Interesting.
I'm watching this interview now. Interesting that he says the two albums they recorded during the pandemic (Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet) were not "the best set of releases that they've made" - and that there was probably one good album's worth of material that they could've made, but they end up recording two albums just to make use of the time they had on their hands.
I know he’s said elsewhere that he doesn’t think much of Lanterna. I do think you could probably get one really great album from the two, but I really like both and don’t feel that they were just mailing them in or anything. Oddly my two least favorites on those albums are probably Atlantic Cable and Lanterna.
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Big Big Train sign to InsideOut
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a deal with InsideOut. InsideOut is the premier progressive rock label and part of the Sony Music group. For the full story, please visit https://www.progradar.org
For Passengers Club members and patrons, the next Business End blog written by BBT manager Nick Shilton provides a detailed insight into the InsideOut deal. The blog will be available within the Club this Friday 4th August. Visit www.thepassengersclub.com
The Journey Continues Tour 2023
It’s 24 days until show time!
Following the warm-up show on Thursday 24th August (now fully sold out), Big Big Train will be trekking – together with our excellent support band Dim Gray (featuring a certain Oskar Holldorff) - through the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland for 16 further shows. (15 shows for Dim Gray, as the second night’s show in London at Cadogan Hall on Wednesday 13th September is BBT only and will feature an extended set list.)
We are aiming to vary the set list to some extent every night of the tour, so to maximise your chances of hearing your favourite BBT songs, please think about coming to more than one show if you can. We plan to play two songs from Ingenious Devices on the tour but they won’t necessarily both be played every night!
The Bandwagon USA Big Big Sale
The Bandwagon USA will be running an extensive half price Big Big Sale from tomorrow until 15th August here: https://thebandwagonusa.com/en-gb/collections/big-big-train. The Bandwagon USA are also offering a number of other English Electric Recordings items for half price.
Not long now until we see you on the road. Thanks for your continuing support.
Best wishes
Big Big Train
Today's newsletter update!
And here's a new music teaser- https://youtu.be/zp2bEqjT_SM
-Marc.
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No surprise there. Here's to hoping that maybe Inside Out assists with the reissues.
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Big Big Train sign to InsideOut
We are delighted to announce that we have signed a deal with InsideOut. InsideOut is the premier progressive rock label and part of the Sony Music group. For the full story, please visit https://www.progradar.org
For Passengers Club members and patrons, the next Business End blog written by BBT manager Nick Shilton provides a detailed insight into the InsideOut deal. The blog will be available within the Club this Friday 4th August. Visit www.thepassengersclub.com
The Journey Continues Tour 2023
It’s 24 days until show time!
Following the warm-up show on Thursday 24th August (now fully sold out), Big Big Train will be trekking – together with our excellent support band Dim Gray (featuring a certain Oskar Holldorff) - through the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland for 16 further shows. (15 shows for Dim Gray, as the second night’s show in London at Cadogan Hall on Wednesday 13th September is BBT only and will feature an extended set list.)
We are aiming to vary the set list to some extent every night of the tour, so to maximise your chances of hearing your favourite BBT songs, please think about coming to more than one show if you can. We plan to play two songs from Ingenious Devices on the tour but they won’t necessarily both be played every night!
The Bandwagon USA Big Big Sale
The Bandwagon USA will be running an extensive half price Big Big Sale from tomorrow until 15th August here: https://thebandwagonusa.com/en-gb/collections/big-big-train. The Bandwagon USA are also offering a number of other English Electric Recordings items for half price.
Not long now until we see you on the road. Thanks for your continuing support.
Best wishes
Big Big Train
Today's newsletter update!
And here's a new music teaser- https://youtu.be/zp2bEqjT_SM
-Marc.
Huh, thought I responded to this earlier this morning. Inside Out always seemed like probably the best fit, so no big surprise there. That new sample sounds amazing. Hope we get a title and release date soon.
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No surprise there. Here's to hoping that maybe Inside Out assists with the reissues.
In parallel with this deal with InsideOut, Big Big Train will continue to run their English Electric Recordings label and expect to commence a re-issue campaign for previous studio BBT albums in late 2024.
I'm thinking that the re-issue campaign will be released by EER, but all future releases will go through InsideOut, for which their deal is a multi-album deal, which sounds like several studio and live albums in the years to come. It's a good way to give this current band its own identity going forth, especially being on a big label! Maybe IO/Sony will help distribute the re-issues, but I can see the band keeping much of the work on them in-house before it's sent off for production.
Huh, thought I responded to this earlier this morning. Inside Out always seemed like probably the best fit, so no big surprise there. That new sample sounds amazing. Hope we get a title and release date soon.
They've said the album will come out in Spring 2024, so if we get a six-month head-start on the pre-orders, then I'd say October at the VERY earliest, for a March release, just in time for Cruise To The Edge.
-Marc.
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Late 2024, yuck. Oh well, something to look forward to, I guess (outside of the new album).
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Late 2024, yuck. Oh well, something to look forward to, I guess (outside of the new album).
True. I suspect the new album will come out in March/April, with another small tour in the mid-to-late summer (as 2022 and 2023 have shown), and then a re-issue campaign starting in Nov/Dec with their first three studio albums, including the long-awaited Bard remix/remaster/reissue. Then they'll probably get to Gathering Speed and The Difference Machine next as a pair, and continue on with English Electric Full Power afterwards. I'm not sure they'd do The Underfall Yard again so soon after the previous reissue, but they might do Far Skies Deep Time, which had it's last release in 2017.
After that, I'd assume the group of Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star would all come out together, but that probably won't be til like 2025 if they want to space these all out. That's probably where these reissues would end, as I think Grand Tour is still readily available, as are the last two with Longdon, but if they're doing something with all of their albums that makes them special as a group, maybe they'll do them all up to Welcome To The World. One thing I think would be neat would be a unique spine-mural so that the CDs all look nice on a shelf together. But also, I wonder if they'll bother to include any sort of bonuses, like demos (sourced from The Passengers Club), or live tracks from past shows. There are few bands I'll triple-dip for, but BBT is one of them!
-Marc.
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Late 2024, yuck. Oh well, something to look forward to, I guess (outside of the new album).
True. I suspect the new album will come out in March/April, with another small tour in the mid-to-late summer (as 2022 and 2023 have shown), and then a re-issue campaign starting in Nov/Dec with their first three studio albums, including the long-awaited Bard remix/remaster/reissue. Then they'll probably get to Gathering Speed and The Difference Machine next as a pair, and continue on with English Electric Full Power afterwards. I'm not sure they'd do The Underfall Yard again so soon after the previous reissue, but they might do Far Skies Deep Time, which had it's last release in 2017.
After that, I'd assume the group of Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star would all come out together, but that probably won't be til like 2025 if they want to space these all out. That's probably where these reissues would end, as I think Grand Tour is still readily available, as are the last two with Longdon, but if they're doing something with all of their albums that makes them special as a group, maybe they'll do them all up to Welcome To The World. One thing I think would be neat would be a unique spine-mural so that the CDs all look nice on a shelf together. But also, I wonder if they'll bother to include any sort of bonuses, like demos (sourced from The Passengers Club), or live tracks from past shows. There are few bands I'll triple-dip for, but BBT is one of them!
-Marc.
I also wonder how much of the pre-Longdon material was ever re-recorded for the long rumored "Station Masters" idea, and if some of that could find it's way into these re-issues as bonus tracks to add value.
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Late 2024, yuck. Oh well, something to look forward to, I guess (outside of the new album).
True. I suspect the new album will come out in March/April, with another small tour in the mid-to-late summer (as 2022 and 2023 have shown), and then a re-issue campaign starting in Nov/Dec with their first three studio albums, including the long-awaited Bard remix/remaster/reissue. Then they'll probably get to Gathering Speed and The Difference Machine next as a pair, and continue on with English Electric Full Power afterwards. I'm not sure they'd do The Underfall Yard again so soon after the previous reissue, but they might do Far Skies Deep Time, which had it's last release in 2017.
After that, I'd assume the group of Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star would all come out together, but that probably won't be til like 2025 if they want to space these all out. That's probably where these reissues would end, as I think Grand Tour is still readily available, as are the last two with Longdon, but if they're doing something with all of their albums that makes them special as a group, maybe they'll do them all up to Welcome To The World. One thing I think would be neat would be a unique spine-mural so that the CDs all look nice on a shelf together. But also, I wonder if they'll bother to include any sort of bonuses, like demos (sourced from The Passengers Club), or live tracks from past shows. There are few bands I'll triple-dip for, but BBT is one of them!
-Marc.
I also wonder how much of the pre-Longdon material was ever re-recorded for the long rumored "Station Masters" idea, and if some of that could find it's way into these re-issues as bonus tracks to add value.
That's a good question. I hope we find out some day. Those would make for very enticing bonus tracks on the reissues and definitely make them worth buying again, at least to me, even if nothing else is done to the original album music save for a bit of remastering.
-Marc.
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And obviously they could still do some re-worked versions with the current lineup if they were so inclined (like they did with Expecting Dragons on the last reissue of Goodbye to the Age of Steam).
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I’m only half way through this interview, but Greg let out that the band are signing with a record company and that news of that will be out soon. That is a pretty major shift for this band.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yyDK4woow
Hopefully it is someone like InsideOut who understands prog and who BBT are, but it also kind of sounds like he expects a certain measure of record company input going forward. Interesting.
I'm watching this interview now. Interesting that he says the two albums they recorded during the pandemic (Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet) were not "the best set of releases that they've made" - and that there was probably one good album's worth of material that they could've made, but they end up recording two albums just to make use of the time they had on their hands.
If you watch this video until the end, Greg mentions they hope to announce some US dates in a couple weeks!! I'm guessing next year after the cruise, which should be right aroud the release of the new album!
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I'm late to the party but I've been really enjoying Ingenious Devices. I love the orchestration and the much improved rhythm section on Brooklands. Brooklands has always been a favorite of mine and I didn't realize until recently they've never performed it live. What a shame!
The end of that song never fails to bring a tear to my eye. How I wish David could've had a chance to add some new vocals to the mix but even so, I'm all in. I was listening to it over the weekend and my husband says, "Oh you listening to Genesis?" I set him straight and of course he's seen some of BBT's live performances on YouTube with me but it just goes to show how much Longdon's voice evokes Phil (and IMO Peter) at times. All good.
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I'm late to the party but I've been really enjoying Ingenious Devices. I love the orchestration and the much improved rhythm section on Brooklands. Brooklands has always been a favorite of mine and I didn't realize until recently they've never performed it live. What a shame!
The end of that song never fails to bring a tear to my eye. How I wish David could've had a chance to add some new vocals to the mix but even so, I'm all in. I was listening to it over the weekend and my husband says, "Oh you listening to Genesis?" I set him straight and of course he's seen some of BBT's live performances on YouTube with me but it just goes to show how much Longdon's voice evokes Phil (and IMO Peter) at times. All good.
It’s interesting because when he was younger had a little more Collins in him, but from about Grimspound on he realized his voice was settling lower and he made more of an effort to sing in a lower register which really evokes Gabriel.
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So in the Passenger’s Club today Nick Shilton shared some more details about the Inside Out deal. He confirmed it is a licensing deal for new material only, meaning BBT will retain the rights and control over the masters and Inside Out won’t have any input into the creative side of things. Also all of the back catalog will stay with English Electric which will be handling the reissues, so it appears those won’t be on Inside Out. Essentially Inside Out just has a much bigger reach than the band does on its own, and this will take a lot of extra administrative stuff off the band’s plate.
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I've continued on my summer long BBT deep dive with The Grand Tour and Empire. The Grand Tour was definitely a step up from its studio album predecessor, I'd put it in the same tier with Folklore and Grimspound just below Underfall Yard and English Electric. Empire is good, the band always sounds on point, the setlist is just easily my least favorite of any of the live albums I've checked out so far. This week will be Common Ground, then Summer Shall Not Fade and Welcome to the Planet to round things out.
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I've continued on my summer long BBT deep dive with The Grand Tour and Empire. The Grand Tour was definitely a step up from its studio album predecessor, I'd put it in the same tier with Folklore and Grimspound just below Underfall Yard and English Electric. Empire is good, the band always sounds on point, the setlist is just easily my least favorite of any of the live albums I've checked out so far. This week will be Common Ground, then Summer Shall Not Fade and Welcome to the Planet to round things out.
If you want to be very chronological, I'd say do Summer Shall Not Fade before the last two studio albums, as that show was even before Grand Tour came out, but that's up to you. The line-up is the same as the Grand Tour/Empire one, IIRC.
As for Grand Tour, I found myself really loving it when it came out, though I haven't listened to BBT enough lately to know if my feelings have changed on it. I think it's still pretty good, high up there for me, but then again, I tend to praise almost every BBT release.
I'm not sure if you mentioned it or not, but if you can, get a hold of Summer's Lease, the Japanese-released compilation that includes some unique tracks and versions of BBT songs, as well as the definitive version of the "London Song" suite which includes some additions by Greg that aren't on the bandcamp release of the 30-minute suite.
-Marc.
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Grand Tour has held up and even grown on me a little bit over time I think. I still don’t care too much for Ariel, but the rest is really good.
Empire is still their crowning live moment in my book. As great as the Summer Shall Not Fade environment was, I think they were really on at the end of that tour for Empire and the recording and film are excellent.
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Empire is still their crowning live moment in my book. As great as the Summer Shall Not Fade environment was, I think they were really on at the end of that tour for Empire and the recording and film are excellent.
Gotta be honest, I walked out of that show disappointed. Including encore it was only 99 minutes of music which is crazy for a prog show (especially when the year before we had 136 minutes of music split into two sets). I just didn't feel that it ever "got started" and it felt so much less like an event. For a band that barely plays live it was disappointing that the setlist repeated so much from the Cadogan shows (if we're talking minute by minute 46% of the show was the same as Cadogan). I would've taken Roman Stone or The Underfall Yard over ECR.
I also felt as if the band wasn't quite gelling as they had before: on the night it felt that there were some tensions within the band and at certain points in the bluray I feel that the band members look frustrated or a bit bored, like they're waiting to get it over and done with. Given that so many members left shortly after (with reasons related to not wanting to tour) it puts a bit of shade over the performance for me and isn't one I regularly return to.
However credit where credit is due: the performances themselves are top notch and each player is really at the top of their game. This was their first ever proper tour and so I can understand treading comfortable ground and doing a smaller set VS being a bit more ambitious. As a document of their final night together as that era of BBT it certainly holds up well! Longdon's best captured live performance with BBT by a long shot and beautifully mixed.
My band has been working with Robin Armstrong recently who stood in on keyboards for this tour and there's just so much that goes into these shows behind the scenes that we never really get to know about on this side. Huge amounts of monetary risk and huge amounts of organisation, travel and rehearsal. To look at it as I do now knowing some of what went into bringing that tour together feels a bit mean but I know how I felt on the night. Such is this business I suppose!! "Everything is never enough..."
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That’s interesting to get a different perspective from someone who was there. I don’t know how much tension there was at that point in the band, but I’d never heard of their being any and I don’t think any was mentioned in the Between the Lines book. But I do think the idea of more frequent touring paired with COVID did lead to Gregory and Manners departing, maybe Rachel as well. Could be that they got to the end of that tour and were already thinking about it being the end.
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https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2023/court-theatre-tring-england-5ba52300.html?fbclid=IwAR24eQOkG-Wy3xC7pipo8ybg8pGl4fQqQrKecf1AHJBauUBdaQdWbp3xEw4
Setlist foe the warm-up show in Tring. Spoilers, obviously!
-Marc.
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Great setlist. I appreciate them doing some previously unplayed ones.
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I'm genuinely surprised at all of the previously-unplayed songs, that it is the first time for them.
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Spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers
Awesome to see Folklore again, had assumed that would be gone for good. Connection Plan, Apollo and Drums and Brass I could definitely leave. The first 2 are fun and Drums and Brass was fun the first few times but I'm a bit EH from it now.
Hedgerow and Judas are a staple. Great great great to see Summoned by Bells (my favorite BBT track), Swan Hunter and Victorian Brickwork again.
Also cool to see them playing stuff they've never played before, including the mighty Brooklands.
No Spoilers No Spoilers No Spoilers
Just to mirror something I put on the BBT Facebook group, probably more relevant here.
I've been outspoken in my dislike for set list spoilers in the past, but last year had the opportunity for an experiment.
Dream Theater played 2 tours supporting the same album with only minor changes in the setlist from tour to tour. Ironically DT used to be a band known for playing a different show every night and now they're known for playing to an extremely rigid structure with click tracks, backing tracks and huge production quality videos. So if you see the setlist you know for absolute certainty that that's the exact show they'll play. Even potential improvisational spots are structured. There's 0 spontaneity.
Having seen the tour already I thought "screw it, let's spoil the setlist and see if I enjoy it more or less." Unfortunately for me they cut some of my favourite tracks from the first tour and added songs I could definitely leave out. This also allowed me to engage in the discussion around the tour and watch videos of other performances and so on rather than having to shut myself off from it all.
And in fact the songs I would've been dissapointed with had I not known they'd be played are the ones I enjoyed the most!! In fact I enjoyed the whole show a lot more because I knew what to expect, I wasn't stressed about whispers on the encore and I'd been able to hype myself up for it.
There's nothing BBT could do to dissapoint me on this tour, even playing Leopards on a loop for 4 hours would be incredible. We know that some songs will be getting changed around night to night. So I'm saying screw it!! I want all the setlist spoilers. I want to engage in discussion and speculate on everything without getting myself stressed. If there are surprises at the Cadogan Hall shows then awesome, if not then I'll still love it!
If you were previously like me then I'd definitely suggest reconsidering your position! It makes it all so much easier and more enjoyable.
tl;dr I used to stress out hugely over setlist spoilers, but I'm choosing not to this time... and maybe you should do the same? 😃
I'll be heading to both Cadogan Hall shows. Anyone from DTF also going? (and anyone happen to have a couple of spare tickets to Tiger Moth Tales' matinee?)
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I have to vehemently disagree, Leopards on a loop for 4 hours would be far from incredible :P :lol
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Spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers
Awesome to see Folklore again, had assumed that would be gone for good. Connection Plan, Apollo and Drums and Brass I could definitely leave. The first 2 are fun and Drums and Brass was fun the first few times but I'm a bit EH from it now.
Hedgerow and Judas are a staple. Great great great to see Summoned by Bells (my favorite BBT track), Swan Hunter and Victorian Brickwork again.
Also cool to see them playing stuff they've never played before, including the mighty Brooklands.
No Spoilers No Spoilers No Spoilers
Just to mirror something I put on the BBT Facebook group, probably more relevant here.
I've been outspoken in my dislike for set list spoilers in the past, but last year had the opportunity for an experiment.
Dream Theater played 2 tours supporting the same album with only minor changes in the setlist from tour to tour. Ironically DT used to be a band known for playing a different show every night and now they're known for playing to an extremely rigid structure with click tracks, backing tracks and huge production quality videos. So if you see the setlist you know for absolute certainty that that's the exact show they'll play. Even potential improvisational spots are structured. There's 0 spontaneity.
Having seen the tour already I thought "screw it, let's spoil the setlist and see if I enjoy it more or less." Unfortunately for me they cut some of my favourite tracks from the first tour and added songs I could definitely leave out. This also allowed me to engage in the discussion around the tour and watch videos of other performances and so on rather than having to shut myself off from it all.
And in fact the songs I would've been dissapointed with had I not known they'd be played are the ones I enjoyed the most!! In fact I enjoyed the whole show a lot more because I knew what to expect, I wasn't stressed about whispers on the encore and I'd been able to hype myself up for it.
There's nothing BBT could do to dissapoint me on this tour, even playing Leopards on a loop for 4 hours would be incredible. We know that some songs will be getting changed around night to night. So I'm saying screw it!! I want all the setlist spoilers. I want to engage in discussion and speculate on everything without getting myself stressed. If there are surprises at the Cadogan Hall shows then awesome, if not then I'll still love it!
If you were previously like me then I'd definitely suggest reconsidering your position! It makes it all so much easier and more enjoyable.
tl;dr I used to stress out hugely over setlist spoilers, but I'm choosing not to this time... and maybe you should do the same? 😃
I'll be heading to both Cadogan Hall shows. Anyone from DTF also going? (and anyone happen to have a couple of spare tickets to Tiger Moth Tales' matinee?)
I don't got to enough concerts to have ever considered what the set list would be. I don't think it would be bother me to know ahead of time, and it might actually be helpful to know what to expect. I guess if anything, I'd probably like to know the set list before I bought my tickets!
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Big Big Train will be filming some special content, this Wednesday, for the release of their next studio album (coming Spring 2024), and they want to know what your burning questions are.
If you could ask the band anything about the new album, what would it be?
Submit your question by Tuesday, the 12th, at the following link, and a selection will be answered by the band.
https://forms.sonymusicfans.com/campaign/big-big-train-question-collection/
(https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/377950400_746416814164587_3678026626530421216_n.jpg?stp=cp0_dst-jpg_e15_fr_q65&_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3fb9c2&efg=eyJpIjoibyJ9&_nc_ohc=sik-877WgpoAX_JAmDy&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_rml=0&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDWEjfKn306B17kz7Dox7bmhzOn8YpO8KwxUl5MCMC0lw&oe=6503F527)
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0RYfQw2KLkyWjx8rNezZ7YBaySdg5r5mWQp2jDNPY5BseC9auJ3fcGGGqawdvtUATl&id=100063888256380&mibextid=Nif5oz
Very interesting! I wonder if they'll also be filming any music videos for singles off their next album while they're all together?
-Marc.
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I’m not sure if we’ve gotten anything as specific as “Spring 2024” before for the new album. Though maybe we got “early 2024” mentioned. I’m guessing maybe this rules out January and February at least and we’re probably looking at March (which happens to be 6 months from now).
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I’m not sure if we’ve gotten anything as specific as “Spring 2024” before for the new album. Though maybe we got “early 2024” mentioned. I’m guessing maybe this rules out January and February at least and we’re probably looking at March (which happens to be 6 months from now).
I would suspect March or April, with the possibility of tour dates as early as May. I recall reading on FB from someone that said Greg was looking to do some US shows next year, and I would assume with Inside Out backing them, they might aim for a few US shows in the summer in support of their next album. If they make a mid-Atlantic show, I'll do my damnedest to try and see them.
-Marc.
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I’m not sure if we’ve gotten anything as specific as “Spring 2024” before for the new album. Though maybe we got “early 2024” mentioned. I’m guessing maybe this rules out January and February at least and we’re probably looking at March (which happens to be 6 months from now).
I would suspect March or April, with the possibility of tour dates as early as May. I recall reading on FB from someone that said Greg was looking to do some US shows next year, and I would assume with Inside Out backing them, they might aim for a few US shows in the summer in support of their next album. If they make a mid-Atlantic show, I'll do my damnedest to try and see them.
-Marc.
I would assume a US tour would be either right before or right after Cruise to the Edge since they all have to get themselves and their gear to FL for the cruise already.
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I’m not sure if we’ve gotten anything as specific as “Spring 2024” before for the new album. Though maybe we got “early 2024” mentioned. I’m guessing maybe this rules out January and February at least and we’re probably looking at March (which happens to be 6 months from now).
I would suspect March or April, with the possibility of tour dates as early as May. I recall reading on FB from someone that said Greg was looking to do some US shows next year, and I would assume with Inside Out backing them, they might aim for a few US shows in the summer in support of their next album. If they make a mid-Atlantic show, I'll do my damnedest to try and see them.
-Marc.
Cruise to the Edge is in early March (8th-13th) so I imagine they’ll want the release to coincide with that somewhat, either just before or soon after. That’s also probably when they will do some US dates as well.
Or what Axeman said!
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I'll be heading to both Cadogan Hall shows. Anyone from DTF also going? (and anyone happen to have a couple of spare tickets to Tiger Moth Tales' matinee?)
Oh, have fun! I saw them last weekend in Stuttgart/Germany and it was a fantastic gig. What a band they are now! :hefdaddy
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I'll be heading to both Cadogan Hall shows. Anyone from DTF also going? (and anyone happen to have a couple of spare tickets to Tiger Moth Tales' matinee?)
Oh, have fun! I saw them last weekend in Stuttgart/Germany and it was a fantastic gig. What a band they are now! :hefdaddy
The pictures from the tour that are making their way to Facebook have looked amazing. I’m sure the gigs sound amazing too (though it sounds like there have been some technical and acoustic issues at some of the venues. Hopefully experience has taught them how to avoid the infamous issues they had at Cadogan last time).
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"After a wonderful evening here yesterday, we’re at Cadogan Hall in central London again tonight for the final show of The Journey Continues tour.
We respectfully request that there is strictly no filming at this show as we are professionally filming our London shows this week for future Blu-Ray release".
So it's confirmed there will be a blu-ray coming.
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Here's hoping there is some bonus content in the way of the stuff they put out on YouTube from the earlier shows.
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I think they'll include songs from both Cadogan shows for a live album release as the band has said there'd be a lot of surprises between both shows, including songs not played earlier in the tour.
-Marc.
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Really nice review of the Birmingham concert with some great photos.
https://atthebarrier.com/2023/09/13/big-big-train-dim-gray-town-hall-birmingham-live-review/
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There was a suicide on the train line, the train in front of mine, actually, so all the trains into London ground to a halt and I missed the Cadogan Hall show. I'm absolutely gutted.
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There was a suicide on the train line, the train in front of mine, actually, so all the trains into London ground to a halt and I missed the Cadogan Hall show. I'm absolutely gutted.
Oh no, that’s awful.
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Newsletter from the BBT camp.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/big-big-train-newsletter-9th-october-2023/ (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/big-big-train-newsletter-9th-october-2023/)
Some highlights:
"Since our return from The Journey Continues tour, we’ve been putting the finishing touches to our next studio album. This will be our first release via InsideOut/Sony and we expect to be able to announce all the details (album and song titles, release date, formats etc) some time before Christmas."
"The Toward Infinity team, led by Tim Sidwell, filmed both of our shows at Cadogan Hall in London on 12th and 13th September for a future Blu-ray release. Given the sheer amount of material that we played across the two nights, there’s a mammoth editing task ahead. Currently we aim to release the Blu-ray before the end of 2024."
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Newsletter from the BBT camp.
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/big-big-train-newsletter-9th-october-2023/ (https://www.bigbigtrain.com/big-big-train-newsletter-9th-october-2023/)
Some highlights:
"Since our return from The Journey Continues tour, we’ve been putting the finishing touches to our next studio album. This will be our first release via InsideOut/Sony and we expect to be able to announce all the details (album and song titles, release date, formats etc) some time before Christmas."
"The Toward Infinity team, led by Tim Sidwell, filmed both of our shows at Cadogan Hall in London on 12th and 13th September for a future Blu-ray release. Given the sheer amount of material that we played across the two nights, there’s a mammoth editing task ahead. Currently we aim to release the Blu-ray before the end of 2024."
Also, Greg answers a question on FB about the Bard reissue, and he said they haven’t quite figured out when to slot it but still expect to release it by the end of 2024.
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US tour announcement when :( ?
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US tour announcement when :( ?
Guessing maybe the same time as they announce the album release date.
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On the topic of BBT US tour dates, we already knew they were working on these, but NDV was interviewed by The Daily Doug this week and confirmed that they are working out US dates to coincide with coming over for Cruise to the Edge, so I'd expect these in Feb/March/April of next year.
So who else has picked up the re-issue of David Longdon's Wild River? Got my CD this week, and it's really good. Very cool to hear a young Longdon vocally again (this was originally released in 2004, 5 years before he joined BBT, but recorded over a period of years). More folk pop than prog, but several tracks would sit well along side some of the folkier moments on English Electric. We also get some of the trademark DL layered vocal passages similar to Evening Star. Mostly just well written and crafted songs that most BBT fans should enjoy. Really lovely album.
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So this is fun. A new statue honoring Winkie the pigeon was unveiled yesterday.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyx230574x7o?fbclid=IwAR1KaozBuXJlXXW4bJnJhwhQNupkULL8QweDxq4_66WtggVoqPt2wOcyetk
And BBT got some airplay on BBC as a result! They play snippets of the song at about 50 minutes and again at 1:49 in this link (though one host was somewhat incredulous, the other seemed to really enjoy it).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001s4lq?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile&fbclid=IwAR0wbz12KbyhSMYG6Ux5qHgIHCL_sc1xB_9jtNqQuIohVbI-yKlJAvD2vUc
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BBT will be closing the final Night of the Prog festively at Loreley on July 21, 2024.
https://www.nightoftheprogfestival.com/en/2023/11/notp-2024-sunday-21-july-big-big-train-confirmed/?fbclid=IwAR2yPDRuDpSkCbWaWbYxPhK8xSVWaJHuCz1zXcmbWEfqS2nlR_2o677RDgk
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So this is fun. A new statue honoring Winkie the pigeon was unveiled yesterday.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyx230574x7o?fbclid=IwAR1KaozBuXJlXXW4bJnJhwhQNupkULL8QweDxq4_66WtggVoqPt2wOcyetk
And BBT got some airplay on BBC as a result! They play snippets of the song at about 50 minutes and again at 1:49 in this link (though one host was somewhat incredulous, the other seemed to really enjoy it).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001s4lq?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile&fbclid=IwAR0wbz12KbyhSMYG6Ux5qHgIHCL_sc1xB_9jtNqQuIohVbI-yKlJAvD2vUc
I love this! Winkie never gets any love it seems from many BBT fans and I really really love the track and the story. Their winged saviour.... :heart
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It’s grown on me a lot over the years, I think mainly because the performance on Empire was just so good. Definitely a favorite of mine now.
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According to Kingmaker Management, there will be some big big news later this week!
-Marc.
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According to Kingmaker Management, there will be some big big news later this week!
-Marc.
Nice! I’ve been wondering if they would announce it this month or wait until the first of the year to get past Christmas. Either way it seemed like an announcement needed to be made soon if this thing is coming out before Cruise to the Edge.
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According to Kingmaker Management, there will be some big big news later this week!
-Marc.
Has to be a US tour and possibly an album. I'll take either
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From their Facebook:
"Attention Passengers Club members! There’s a preview for you in the Passengers Club of the first single from the forthcoming Big Big Train studio album!"
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From their Facebook:
"Attention Passengers Club members! There’s a preview for you in the Passengers Club of the first single from the forthcoming Big Big Train studio album!"
It is a very brief snippet of the song Oblivion, which is the first single coming out on 12/8. They are encouraging members to share it on their social media pages. Once I get on my computer instead of my phone I’ll see if I can do it here (unless someone else beats me to it).
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Cool! I'm psyched. Big Big Train is one of my favorite "newer" bands.
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https://teaser.centurymedia.com/big-big-train-oblivion/
I believe "Oblivion" was one of the new songs they played on tour earlier this year.
Can't wait to hear the whole song! I'm hoping for a March album release, just in time for my birthday!
-Marc.
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https://teaser.centurymedia.com/big-big-train-oblivion/
I believe "Oblivion" was one of the new songs they played on tour earlier this year.
Can't wait to hear the whole song! I'm hoping for a March album release, just in time for my birthday!
-Marc.
Thanks, Marc! I think we heard another snippet of this at some point last year. It's a Dave Foster song and sounded a bit more rocky/heavy, so will be interesting to hear the final version.
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https://teaser.centurymedia.com/big-big-train-oblivion/
I believe "Oblivion" was one of the new songs they played on tour earlier this year.
Can't wait to hear the whole song! I'm hoping for a March album release, just in time for my birthday!
-Marc.
Awesome I cannot wait for this! I'm hoping there's some US dates announced as well!
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https://youtu.be/MaCppKPwUy0?si=OqTNJaQETg2l5FNA
"Oblivion" is now out for streaming!
Tracklist from here - https://justforkicks.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/16654
Award-winning progressive rock band BIG BIG TRAIN releases their 15th studio album via InsideOut Music, making it the first full album with new frontman Alberto Bravin (ex-PFM). The highly anticipated release of The Likes Of Us follows BIG BIG TRAIN's hugely successful European tour, which saw them play 17 dates in nine countries and conclude with two triumphant performances at London's Cadogan Hall. The album is a stunning work that contains all the elements that make the band so special, including captivating and memorable arrangements and top-notch music.
Definitions aside, BIG BIG TRAIN are a big fish in their pond of choice. With their album “Common Ground” the group managed to bring prog rock back into the UK top 40 charts in 2021. “Big Big Train are primarily a rock band, but we are also a prog band,” explains bassist and co-founder Gregory Spawton. "We are very conscious of the traditions we follow; we have never and never will deny them. The fact that we are bringing classic sounding prog back to the charts is absolutely fantastic."
On the group's most recent tour, two pieces from "The Likes Of Us" - "Oblivion" and "Love Is The Light" - were presented and enthusiastically received by the audience. During a tidal wave of rebirth and celebration, Bravin was accepted as part of the family. Indeed, the band's ever-evolving chemistry has led to fantastic results. "We have a great mix of people who want to be here and will go the extra mile to make something really special," says drummer Nick D'Virgilio. "There's a big world of talented musicians out there, and luckily some of them want to hang out with us."
'The Likes Of Us' is available as a limited CD + Blu-ray Mediabook (feat. Dolby Atmos & 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes by Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief as well as High-Resolution Stereo), Gatefold 180g 2LP and Standard CD Jewelcase.
CD:
1.Light Left In The Day 00:06:10
2.Oblivion 00:05:27
3.Beneath The Masts 00:17:26
4.Skates On 00:04:28
5.Miramare 00:10:17
6 .Love Is The Light 00:06:11
7.Bookmarks 00:06:23
8.Last Eleven 00:07:55
(https://justforkicks.de/media/image/bc/8b/65/38757_600x600.jpg)
(https://justforkicks.de/media/image/0c/86/0d/38757_2_600x600.jpg)
Also, this is the best birthday present I could ask for. Absolutely cannot wait for this next year.
-Marc.
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https://youtu.be/MaCppKPwUy0?si=OqTNJaQETg2l5FNA
"Oblivion" is now out for streaming!
Tracklist from here - https://justforkicks.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/16654
Award-winning progressive rock band BIG BIG TRAIN releases their 15th studio album via InsideOut Music, making it the first full album with new frontman Alberto Bravin (ex-PFM). The highly anticipated release of The Likes Of Us follows BIG BIG TRAIN's hugely successful European tour, which saw them play 17 dates in nine countries and conclude with two triumphant performances at London's Cadogan Hall. The album is a stunning work that contains all the elements that make the band so special, including captivating and memorable arrangements and top-notch music.
Definitions aside, BIG BIG TRAIN are a big fish in their pond of choice. With their album “Common Ground” the group managed to bring prog rock back into the UK top 40 charts in 2021. “Big Big Train are primarily a rock band, but we are also a prog band,” explains bassist and co-founder Gregory Spawton. "We are very conscious of the traditions we follow; we have never and never will deny them. The fact that we are bringing classic sounding prog back to the charts is absolutely fantastic."
On the group's most recent tour, two pieces from "The Likes Of Us" - "Oblivion" and "Love Is The Light" - were presented and enthusiastically received by the audience. During a tidal wave of rebirth and celebration, Bravin was accepted as part of the family. Indeed, the band's ever-evolving chemistry has led to fantastic results. "We have a great mix of people who want to be here and will go the extra mile to make something really special," says drummer Nick D'Virgilio. "There's a big world of talented musicians out there, and luckily some of them want to hang out with us."
'The Likes Of Us' is available as a limited CD + Blu-ray Mediabook (feat. Dolby Atmos & 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes by Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief as well as High-Resolution Stereo), Gatefold 180g 2LP and Standard CD Jewelcase.
CD:
1.Light Left In The Day 00:06:10
2.Oblivion 00:05:27
3.Beneath The Masts 00:17:26
4.Skates On 00:04:28
5.Miramare 00:10:17
6 .Love Is The Light 00:06:11
7.Bookmarks 00:06:23
8.Last Eleven 00:07:55
(https://justforkicks.de/media/image/bc/8b/65/38757_600x600.jpg)
(https://justforkicks.de/media/image/0c/86/0d/38757_2_600x600.jpg)
Also, this is the best birthday present I could ask for. Absolutely cannot wait for this next year.
-Marc.
Sounds good! The bass is really lively in the mix. Alberto sounds great. The children's storybook artwork is an interesting choice (I'm sure it ties with the themes in Last Eleven, maybe elsewhere in the album as well. Just not especially "rock and roll.").
Also, I wonder what's on the Blu-ray besides the 5.1 mix. Hopefully something to make that extra cost worth it to those of us who don't do surround.
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Awesome! Can't wait.
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Here is the video for Oblivion, recorded live in the studio as all good music videos should be.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2LmHq-iSH5FQ9Rs25uTEBUu7VE8EDT5kpVJhUwcm-2K0HRJ_mVVO7DCw4&v=TZjAreGfqlU&feature=youtu.be
Really digging this song. I love the slow down in the middle.
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Laser CD already has the CD/BD version up for $21. Not bad at all.
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Laser CD already has the CD/BD version up for $21. Not bad at all.
I saw those go up late last night. I was waiting til Band Wagon USA had theirs up this morning to see where I should order from. I typically go with them for my BBT orders but their mediabook was $28 compared to Laser CD's $21, so I went with them instead.
-Marc.
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New song sounds great! Although I've decided I'm only listening once and will not listen to the other two singles coming out, as those, along with Last Eleven, will represent 4 of the 8 songs. I will patiently wait until March 1st to listen to the album as a whole as it should be.
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Laser CD already has the CD/BD version up for $21. Not bad at all.
I saw those go up late last night. I was waiting til Band Wagon USA had theirs up this morning to see where I should order from. I typically go with them for my BBT orders but their mediabook was $28 compared to Laser CD's $21, so I went with them instead.
-Marc.
Hmmm. There's no description on the Bandwagon page or Laser's Edge about whether the CD only version has a different booklet or not. I don't really want to pay extra just for the surround mix on bluray, but if the mediabook is nice I might prefer that. Decisions.
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Laser CD already has the CD/BD version up for $21. Not bad at all.
I saw those go up late last night. I was waiting til Band Wagon USA had theirs up this morning to see where I should order from. I typically go with them for my BBT orders but their mediabook was $28 compared to Laser CD's $21, so I went with them instead.
-Marc.
Hmmm. There's no description on the Bandwagon page or Laser's Edge about whether the CD only version has a different booklet or not. I don't really want to pay extra just for the surround mix on bluray, but if the mediabook is nice I might prefer that. Decisions.
I think the only difference between the booklets, other than the mediabook's booklet being bound in, will be credits for the BD credits.
-Marc.
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Am I the only one who finds the cover of the album terrible? By far their worst cover to date for me. And I didn't like Welcome To The Planet and Common Ground's covers either. I would have loved for the band to move back to their darker, more somber sound of Underfall, Difference and parts of English Electric but judging from the cover and the tracklist, quite the opposite is happening.
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Am I the only one who finds the cover of the album terrible? By far their worst cover to date for me. And I didn't like Welcome To The Planet and Common Ground's covers either. I would have loved for the band to move back to their darker, more somber sound of Underfall, Difference and parts of English Electric but judging from the cover and the tracklist, quite the opposite is happening.
I'm not sure the artwork is very reflective of the sound of the album (Oblivion is certainly a bit darker in nature). It's a fine image on it's own, but I agree it seems a bit out of place on a prog rock album cover. Apparently the band worked very closely with Sarah Ewing to develop the artwork to fit the theme of the album though, so it's all apparently part of the band's creative vision.
Sarah has worked with them since the Wassail EP and was David Longdon's partner/fiancé, so she has a strong connection to the band. I haven't loved all of her covers (Grand Tour and Summer's Lease in particular) but I appreciate the personal nature of her work and the ongoing connection to David. I also think Folklore is one of their stronger covers, and I really like the Dyble Longdon cover that she did. I imagine this one may grow on me over time as well, but we'll see.
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March 2024 US Tour Dates
https://lotsofmuzik.com/big-big-train-announce-us-tour-dates-for-march-2024/
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First US shows announced!
https://twitter.com/bigbigtrain/status/1734573825184985440?s=46&t=fZEL_VJFXNecsfY2bM-KNA
· Fri, 1st Mar - Fort Wayne, Indiana
· Sat, 2nd Mar - Rutherford, New Jersey
· Sun, 3rd Mar - Rutherford, New Jersey
· Tues, 5th Mar - Arlington, Massachusetts
Presumably there will be more as well.
March 2024 US Tour Dates
https://lotsofmuzik.com/big-big-train-announce-us-tour-dates-for-march-2024/
Ninja’d!
Actually Nick’s quote in here makes it sound like these will be all the shows on this run.
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Me: Waits impatiently for months for US tour dates to be announced.
BBT: Announces shows that overlap with Haken concerts I already have tickets for.
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Ugh, closest show is a 4 hour drive. Probably not.
-
Following last Friday’s announcement of the new studio album ‘The Likes Of Us’ by the award-winning progressive rock band Big Big Train to be released on 1st March 2024, the band are delighted to announce four shows in the USA in March 2024. These shows are in addition to the band’s previously announced co-headlining appearances next year on board Cruise To The Edge in March and at the final Night Of The Prog in Germany in July as well as their debut at Cropredy festival in the UK in August.
The band will perform for the first time ever in the United States as follows:
• Friday 1st March 2024 – Sweetwater Performance Theatre, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Saturday 2nd March 2024 – Rivoli Theater at The Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey
• Sunday 3rd March 2024 – Rivoli Theater at The Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey
• Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Regent Theatre, Arlington (Boston), Massachusetts
Ticket links for these shows are at www.bigbigtrain.com/live. The band’s two performances at the Rivoli Theater will feature substantially different set lists. Tickets for all shows will go on sale at 10am Eastern US time on Friday 15th December.
“We could not be more pleased to be bringing Big Big Train to the USA for the first time,” comments lead vocalist Alberto Bravin. “We know that over the years a number of fans have travelled huge distances from North America to see the band play live in the UK and Europe. It’s wonderful that we can now re-pay that commitment so that they will be able to have the opportunity to see us in the States.”
“I’ve wanted Big Big Train to play in North America for many years,” drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds. “We’ve been thwarted a couple of times previously, so this is long overdue. We can’t wait to perform for our North American fans who have been so patient waiting for the band to cross the Atlantic. As we have only have a small time window that works for all of us, this is a very short run of dates, but if the shows go well then we will aim to return soon!”
For these four shows the band’s line-up will consist of Alberto Bravin (lead vocals), Nick D’Virgilio (drums), Oskar Holldorff (keyboards), Clare Lindley (violin), Rikard Sjöblom (guitars/keyboards) and Gregory Spawton (bass) as well as an additional multi-instrumentalist who will play trumpet, guitar and keyboards.
“In an ideal world Big Big Train would include a full brass section at every show, but financial realities just don’t allow us that luxury currently,” explains Gregory Spawton. “Going forwards we want Big Big Train to play as many shows as possible - meaning that we will be performing some shows with and some without the brass section. We’re keen to retain a brass element in all shows however and therefore Dave Foster has very graciously agreed to sit out our North America shows so that we can bring in a trumpet player, whose name we will be announcing soon.”
“Playing with a trumpet player is going to give these US shows a different flavour,” Rikard Sjöblom says. “We’ve got a great set list planned and I’m excited about being able to show what Big Big Train can do as a seven piece live band before we re-unite with a full brass section for the two shows on board Cruise To The Edge.”
Photo credit: Anne-Marie Forker
Interesting details for this NA Tour.
-Marc.
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I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).
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I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).
I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!
-Marc.
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I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).
I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!
-Marc.
I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.
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I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).
I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!
-Marc.
I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.
Specifically mentioning trumpet seems like "Victorian Brickwork" is a shoe-in for the set list given its prominent trumpet solo at the end.
-Marc.
-
I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).
I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!
-Marc.
I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.
Specifically mentioning trumpet seems like "Victorian Brickwork" is a shoe-in for the set list given its prominent trumpet solo at the end.
-Marc.
Yep. Maybe East Coast Racer too since that's sort of an essential set piece.
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Ugh, closest show is a 4 hour drive. Probably not.
Closest for me is about a 4 hour flight - so gonna be tough to say the least.
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I guess this means the full brass band and Dave might be joining them on Cruise to the Edge? Will be a different type of show for sure without the brass. None of these are anywhere near me, so that settles any question about whether I should make an effort to go (not big on live concerts anyway).
I suspect the shows will feature heavily in Grimspound material considering the album didn't have a brass section. It'd be a big surprise if they pulled out any Pre-TUY songs before the brass became a big part of their sound. Throw in a song or two from Gathering Speed or The Difference Machine and that would certainly spice things up a bit!
-Marc.
I wonder how much brass will be featured on The Likes of Us. We haven't heard the final version of Last Eleven but I don't believe the demo had any. Oblivion also doesn't have any. I'm sure they can work up a set with limited brass one way or another, but the trumpet suggests they will try to replicate/modify some of the songs with brass parts at least.
Specifically mentioning trumpet seems like "Victorian Brickwork" is a shoe-in for the set list given its prominent trumpet solo at the end.
-Marc.
Was thinking the same thing when I read they'd have a trumpet player on the tour.
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Going to try and hit the Ft. Wayne show.
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https://youtu.be/QW97Yd_3i-4?si=bLQ2fIruTYLsXf3a
The 2nd "Answering Fan Questions" video has gone up. Haven't had a chance to watch this or the first one yet.
-Marc.
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"Miramare - the second single from the new album The Likes Of Us - coming 17th January". (https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain/posts/pfbid032BYQhL8qonXeCM1RovpEjkbmogF4RHqgUkSYwqpifoxanvzTQedxs2kz8Fbydb1tl)
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Really nice all instrumental mix of East Coast Racer (appears to be the Ingenious Devices version) up on The Passenger's Club today. Really powerful even without the vocal. Quite nice.
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New song, Miramare, released today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--9KjIGmNcU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--9KjIGmNcU)
Gregory Spawton comments of the track:
"BBT is known for its story songs, and I was keen to find a story which is set in Italy. Alberto lives in Trieste and mentioned the story of Maximilian and Carlotta, which was both a romantic (but doomed) love story and also a tale of the end of empires. Miramare was their castle home, a castle of dreams, set on the shore just outside Trieste. It turned out to be a grand folly and a place of madness and nightmares. Alberto had written a lovely piece of music and melody to set the words to and so it was simply a process of reading some books on the history and finding the way to tell the story".
Alberto Bravin adds:
"Having grown up in Trieste, and recently returned here after living for some years in London and Milan, the Miramare castle has been a backdrop for most of my life. Putting the story of Maximilian and Carlotta into music with Greg has been hugely satisfying for me. It was very fulfilling to co-write this song together and create what will hopefully be regarded as a Big Big Train future classic. With all its twists and turns as the story progresses, Miramare should be great to play live as well".
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A stunning song and beautiful video as well. There's a lot to digest after multiple listens but I'll wait til the full album in a few weeks to listen again. Every new song gets me more hyped for this album!
-Marc.
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Gave it a listen, but I think I’m gonna try to hold out for the album before listening again. Sounded pretty nice though. Really great solo at the end. Curious if that was Rikard, Dave, or Maria (I believe she was in the studio with them some, and given the subject matter it would make sense for her to play on that track). Doesn’t quite sound like Rikard’s tone so I’m thinking Dave or Maria.
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Also, for those seeking physical copies of the back catalog, Greg just posted this comment on FB:
We’ll be working on a series of re-issues starting later this year. We’ll be aiming to re-issue (with bonus tracks where available) every CD / vinyl release which has become hard to source.
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Gave it a listen, but I think I’m gonna try to hold out for the album before listening again. Sounded pretty nice though. Really great solo at the end. Curious if that was Rikard, Dave, or Maria (I believe she was in the studio with them some, and given the subject matter it would make sense for her to play on that track). Doesn’t quite sound like Rikard’s tone so I’m thinking Dave or Maria.
I usually can tell Rikard's playing by the tone as well, but I'm holding strong and not gonna listen to another note until the album's released lol.
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Also, for those seeking physical copies of the back catalog, Greg just posted this comment on FB:
We’ll be working on a series of re-issues starting later this year. We’ll be aiming to re-issue (with bonus tracks where available) every CD / vinyl release which has become hard to source.
Yes please!
CD/Vinyl of Folklore and at least vinyl of Grimspound (already have CD).
Oh, ignoring everything new until I have the album.
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So the band are making a push on Facebook to get people to spread the word about the New Jersey shows as well as the Fort Wayne show (they were really asking about all the shows, but it looks like Boston is about sold out and Buffalo just got added yesterday). I just checked and it looks like the first night in NJ is only about half sold, and night two is only about a third sold. I hope they don't end up having to cancel one of the nights or something. There are only general admission tickets left for Fort Wayne, so you can't see how many of those are left. But I imagine there is a good bit unsold there as well.
It is going to really stink if this tour loses them a ton of money. Really wish there were a way to get the word out, but I just don't think there is a ready made audience for the band in any one locality (I'm nowhere near any of the shows, and I'd rather just give the band $100 than pay for travel, hotel, and tickets).
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Two nights in NJ seems a bit excessive and they’re competing with Haken touring the same time too. I’m seeing them Saturday but wonder why they didn’t schedule a date somewhere else instead of the same place.
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Two nights in NJ seems a bit excessive and they’re competing with Haken touring the same time too. I’m seeing them Saturday but wonder why they didn’t schedule a date somewhere else instead of the same place.
They might just wanted to offer folks a chance to see all the songs they'll end up playing on the Cruise by doing two nights since they'll probably have two shows on the Cruise. I think they said both shows in NJ will feature different setlists each night with several songs swapped. And perhaps the venue gave them a deal to do two shows back to back? I'm not sure, but you could probably ask them on the FB group why they decided to do two shows there.
-Marc.
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Yeah, I think the idea was to do a multi-night stand like they’ve done in the UK to film a concert and give US fans the chance to hear a broader range of songs. And I imagine Proghouse was just the promoter who was willing to do it.
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Sweetwater is very odd. They have several performance stages but when I go to there site I can't find a concert list anywhere. The only way I get any idea where to buy tickets is to go to BBT's website.
If I were to go to the Ft. Wayne show I would need to get a hotel since there is no way I would drive back home after the show.
Kind of funny that Sweetwater is on Route 30. I'm looking out my front window at Route 30 right now. I live right off it, just 4 hours away.
I really would love to go. Maybe I'll think more about it. The venue only seats 235 so it is really intimate.
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I watched the video, and listened to the song of course. The song is pretty cool. Nice to get a listen to Alberto singing but not trying to emulate David, which it always sounded to me like he was doing on the older songs. I mean, obviously a big reason he was chosen as the new lead singer is because of how he sang the back catalogue. But he really sounded different here, and I have to figure it's because he's not channeling David, but doing his own thing, so to speak.
The video itself I thought was pretty boring. The animation was pretty basic and didn't do a lot for me. Maybe if I knew the story it would have meant more, but it was basically just something to watch while listening to the song, and I found my eyes wandering a lot.
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The new album is available for review
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The new album is available for review
Oooooh, I'd love to review it, if I have the time. What's the deadline for having the review written? I haven't done a properly written review in awhile, but I recently started a BBT binge a week and a half ago in my car during my commutes, and I've just gotten up to TUY today. It's great hearing the band evolve from their early demo albums (From The River To The Sea, Infant Hercules), through the Martin Read and Sean Filkins albums. There's no jarring changes and everything sounds like a logical next step album to album as the band's sound slowly morphed into what it bloomed into when David Longdon joined. It's been some time since I've binged BBT so I'm excited to get into the thick of it these next few weeks as I spin through the past 15 years of BBT music!
-Marc.
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PM sent Marc
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INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY ALERT:
***Alberto, Gregory, and Nick, are now available for interviews.
If anyone wants to do it, please contact me ASAP
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Looks like they’re doing a crowdfunding type deal for the upcoming shows with some unique items:
www.bigbigtrain.com/shop/2024-tour-patron/
If I wasn’t already gonna sign up for drum lessons with Ray Hearne before the Haken show, I’d probably do this to help them out.
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News for fans in the US, the band is doing their first ever US tour in March.
https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain (https://www.facebook.com/bigbigtrain)
We know that it's been a very long wait, but in under 4 weeks Big Big Train will perform for the first time ever in the USA. We've called this short run of shows "A Mead Hall In America Tour" as per the front cover of the new 68 page tour programme here. As we've said previously, whether we can return to North America (including Canada) in the future depends entirely on fans turning out for these five mainland USA shows which take place prior to the sold out Cruise To The Edge. While the Fort Wayne show is sold out, tickets remain available for the Rutherford/New Jersey, Arlington/Massachusetts and Buffalo/New York shows.
The list of mainland USA shows is:
1 March 2024 Sweetwater Performance Theater, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
2 March 2024 Rivoli Theater, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA*
3 March 2024 Rivoli Theater, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA*
5 March 2024 Regent Theatre, Arlington (Boston), Massachusetts, USA
6 March 2024 Electric City, Buffalo, New York, USA**
*The two New Jersey shows will feature significantly different set lists.
** The Buffalo show is the only mainland USA show currently scheduled to feature the BBT four piece brass section.
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BIG BIG TRAIN - THE LIKES OF US TOUR
12 UK/EUROPEAN SHOWS ANNOUNCED FOR SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2024
Big Big Train are delighted to announce 12 shows to take place in September and October 2024 in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.
At these performances the seven piece band will be promoting their The Likes Of Us album, their first for the InsideOut label, which will be released on 1st March 2024.
Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin says: “We’re really looking forward to getting back on the road this autumn around the UK and Europe. Following the success of last year’s The Journey Continues tour, we can’t wait to do it all again. On this tour in autumn we will be playing a significant amount of The Likes Of Us as well as some Big Big Train classics and a few surprises.”
Drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds: “Last year’s Big Big Train shows were so much fun. We made some changes to the set list every night. It was very challenging but it kept things fresh for both us and the audience, so we’re going to take a similar approach on this tour to make every show genuinely unique.”
Bassist Gregory Spawton continues: “For this tour we’ve decided to return to some of our favourite venues as well as visiting some parts of the country where Big Big Train hasn’t played before. While some fans travel vast distances to see us live, we recognise that others aren’t able to do so and therefore we’re trying to bring the show to them.”
Guitarist Rikard Sjöblom concludes: “In an ideal world, we would play everywhere! Scheduling is always challenging and so while we couldn’t organise a Swedish show this time around, I’m delighted that we will be performing in Oslo and Copenhagen again for my fellow Scandinavians. And I’m particularly looking forward to our weekend at the Boerderij where we plan to play two very different shows.”
BIG BIG TRAIN – THE LIKES OF US TOUR
TUESDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2024 Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, UK
WEDNESDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 2024 The Riverfront, Newport, UK
THURSDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 2024 Playhouse Theatre, Whitley Bay, UK
SATURDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2024 Queens Hall, Edinburgh, UK
SUNDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER Palace Theatre, Newark, UK
TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK
WEDNESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER The Stoller Hall, Manchester, UK
FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2024 Stadthalle, Weinheim, GERMANY
SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2024 Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NETHERLANDS
SUNDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2024 Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NETHERLANDS
TUESDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2024 Cosmopolite, Oslo, NORWAY
WEDNESDAY 2ND OCTOBER 2024 Viften, Copenhagen, DENMARK
Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10am UK/11am central European time on Friday 9th February. A pre-sale open to members of the band’s Passengers Club for all shows except Copenhagen, Oslo and Zoetermeer opens at 10am UK/11am central European time on Thursday 8th February. The pre-sale for Whitley Bay opens at 5pm on Thursday 8th February.
See www.bigbigtrain.com/live for ticket links.
Good news for European and UK fans!
-Marc.
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Can't believe we're only three weeks out from release day for The Likes of Us. Went by fast.
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Really cool to see them purposefully playing places they haven't before. Unfortunately the nearest show to me - Milton Keynes - is a 3 hour drive. Did that drive to see Spock's Beard last week and due to road works on the A12 and A14 despite the show finishing at 10pm I wasn't home until 1:30am. With the risk of that it'd need to be a hotel job... but at £54 I can't afford to book all that in until payday and looks like MK is selling out fast. I think this sadly might be the first BBT show I'll miss since 2016.
Not to their discredit though; I love that they're playing in "weird" places to get to more fans. Really good stuff.
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New BBT single, "Love Is The Light", out February 14.
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Ha, "Love Is The Light" on Valentine's Day. :heart
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Well, this sucks. I've had a rough couple of weeks and am watching Live at King's Place right now and decided - screw it - I want to see them at Sweetwater. Freaking show is sold out. :facepalm:
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Well, this sucks. I've had a rough couple of weeks and am watching Live at King's Place right now and decided - screw it - I want to see them at Sweetwater. Freaking show is sold out. :facepalm:
That stinks. If you're on Facebook, they have subgroups for the individual shows, and occasionally people will post tickets there if they can't go for some reason. Might be worth keeping an eye on.
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Man, Buffalo was announced a couple weeks behind the others but that show has hardly sold. Both nights in NJ still have lots of seats. The first night at least is getting maybe a little over half sold, but the second night is really struggling to sell. Maybe a third of the tickets sold so far. Boston looks about sold out, but I think it's a smaller venue.
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That's a bummer about the NJ shows, but two nights in a random NJ city (for reference, I grew up and lived about 20 minutes away from the Jersey venue and I'd never heard of it until these shows were announced) was a really weird choice.
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Yeah two nights in Rutherford is not ideal. One night there for the NY based crowd, then the next night at the Keswick in Glenside PA or something would’ve made a lot more sense. They’re also competing with the Haken crowd who is touring the area on the exact same weekend - I’m sure there’s a hefty overlap between fan bases that are choosing one or the other each night.
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Yeah, I already had tickets for both Haken shows that weekend. I'm going to end up taking a loss on one to catch the BBT show on Saturday instead, but I'm guessing there are plenty of people who are just sticking with the tickets they already bought.
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I solved that problem by seeing Haken in Pittsburgh.
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If this tour is anything like the others they're expecting to play at a loss in order to get the band further out there and will make up the costs on the CTTE set. This is why they had to cancel a lot of their shows when HRH Prog messed them about; the tour is a loss without the festival slot. So I wouldn't worry too much about poor turnouts, although it'll no doubt impact where they choose to go next.
In contrast most of the UK shows are close to sold out now from what I can see which is great news!
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Early reviews are in for the new album.
https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2024/02/12/big-big-train-the-like-of-us/
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Today, on Valentine’s Day, the band are pleased to reveal the video for the third single from 'The Likes of Us.' "Love Is The Light" was filmed in May 2023 during their time recording the album in Trieste, Italy and you can watch the Tim Sidwell-directed video here: https://youtu.be/M8jwBaYUCMc
Alberto Bravin comments: “This song recounts a difficult period in my life and how I got through it. In 2018 my daughter was born, I had a happy life and was travelling around the world playing a lot of gigs with PFM. But for no apparent reason I became deeply depressed. The most difficult challenge is not to heal, but to admit what’s happening. And you can do it only if you have real support from the people around you. My wife, Nicole, was always there for me and she helped me find the light. And she’s still doing it: with love.”
Gregory Spawton adds: “When Alberto submitted "Love Is The Light" as a song to be considered for The Likes Of Us, we really required no discussion about whether to include it on the album or not – it was an absolute no brainer that we should record it. It’s a beautiful ballad that draws from Alberto’s personal experience but also has universal appeal. When we played "Love Is The Light" live on tour last year, it got a terrific response every night and I hope people will take the song to their hearts as we have.”
'The Likes of Us' is out on March 1st. Stream the singles and pre-order the album now here: https://bigbigtrain.lnk.to/TheLikesOfUs
And from Gregory:
Soon after Alberto Bravin accepted the job as Big Big Train vocalist he mentioned that he was also a songwriter.
As we were preparing to start work on our forthcoming album, I asked him if he had any songs he’d like to put forward for consideration.
Love Is The Light, which is released as a promo video today (filmed by Tim Sidwell at the album recording sessions) and as an audio single on all streaming sites, was the first song Alberto put forward and I was instantly smitten with it.
Love Is The Light is, of course, a love song (hence the Valentine’s Day release!) But it’s not a ‘boy meets girl’ story, it’s about how love can help individuals find their way again when circumstances have caused them to feel lost.
We hope you enjoy our new song and if you like what you hear, please do think about supporting the band with a purchase of The Likes Of Us album (out on 1st March) at Burning Shed, Bandwagon USA or at any good high street or online stores.
Thank you for listening.
-Marc.
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Wasn’t gonna listen to Love is the Light until the album came, but then I listened to Greg and Alberto on The Prog Report podcast talking about the album, and it got me in the perfect mood for listening so I gave it a spin, and my goodness, there’s a part in the middle passage that hits you like a ton of bricks. So very good, and Alberto’s vocal is amazing as well.
Anyway, here is a like to the Prog Report interview:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prog-report/id778246137?i=1000645173614
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There are several very nice interviews coming out, but this long form print interview with Greg is very nice read.
http://dailyvault.com/article.php5?id=595&fbclid=IwAR2vgaS6TvVO7hdeSxjrtrz9cPghMIE8vFdxb4l1rpUhXn9oC7yPWV8weAg
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Here's The Letter M's review of the album:
https://lotsofmuzik.com/big-big-train-the-likes-of-us-album-review-by-marc-fernandez/
:metal
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https://www.facebook.com/share/3BW1FeC2qWGZv53q/?mibextid=oFDknk
We are pleased to announce that Cade Gotthardt will be performing with us at all of our shows in the USA and on Cruise To The Edge in March. Cade is a 27-year-old jazz trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. Cade regularly plays with countless different groups in various musical styles including popular music, straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz, Latin pop, Persian pop, R&B, neo-soul, funk, and now progressive rock. Please join us in welcoming Cade to the BBT team!
New touring member announced!
Here's The Letter M's review of the album:
https://lotsofmuzik.com/big-big-train-the-likes-of-us-album-review-by-marc-fernandez/
:metal
Thanks again for this opportunity! :tup I can't wait for everyone to hear the album!
-Marc.
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https://www.facebook.com/share/3BW1FeC2qWGZv53q/?mibextid=oFDknk
We are pleased to announce that Cade Gotthardt will be performing with us at all of our shows in the USA and on Cruise To The Edge in March. Cade is a 27-year-old jazz trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. Cade regularly plays with countless different groups in various musical styles including popular music, straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz, Latin pop, Persian pop, R&B, neo-soul, funk, and now progressive rock. Please join us in welcoming Cade to the BBT team!
New touring member announced!
Here's The Letter M's review of the album:
https://lotsofmuzik.com/big-big-train-the-likes-of-us-album-review-by-marc-fernandez/
:metal
Thanks again for this opportunity! :tup I can't wait for everyone to hear the album!
-Marc.
Cool to have a new contributor if only for these shows.
That is a very well-done review, Marc!
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https://burningshed.com/big-big-train_folklore_cd
Saw someone post on the BBT Facebook forum that Burning Shed has copies of Folklore on CD in stock!! Get one while you can if you haven't gotten one yet!
That is a very well-done review, Marc!
Thanks! I haven't written anything like that in a LONG time so I was a bit nervous about it, but I'm glad it turned out okay!
-Marc.
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Ordered!
Hope it was not a mistake. This is my favorite BBT record and I really want a physical copy.
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Ordered!
Hope it was not a mistake. This is my favorite BBT record and I really want a physical copy.
I doubt it's a mistake as it seems several have already ordered according to the post on the BBT Forum, so if there was any issue I'm sure they would've said so by now. My best guess is that they found a small stock of the albums in their warehouse and are trying to get rid of them. I do have to wonder if it'll be a part of the eventual re-release campaign of their back catalog, and just how recent the re-releases will go. I can't imagine they'll re-release anything from Grand Tour onwards since those are still fairly easily to get, and even Grimspound is also still available at Burning Shed and The Band Wagon USA. Pretty much anything from Folklore back could use a re-issue, except The Underfall Yard which already had a remaster/remix re-release a couple years ago.
And of course, I'm still waiting for the Bard remaster/remix/re-release as it's the only studio album of theirs I don't own. The big question is, of course, will I be willing to double-dip on their re-issues? Perhaps English Electric Full Power if it's the 2016 remaster, which I never got on CD, but unless the older albums come with bonus tracks or have lavish packaging, I'm not sure I'll buy any of them again (although that hasn't stopped me from owning doubles and triples of BBT albums before :lol ).
-Marc.
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I never did get the re-mastered English Electric, but I might do that if they reissue it just to be somewhat completist.
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I thought about the upcoming re-releases and just said screw it. You never really know what's going to happen and it came out to $20 US. Their albums have always been a little more expensive and this was right on so I got it.
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My copy shipped! Thanks for the heads up. Awesome that I will have this on CD finally.
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My copy has shipped now from Burning Shed, hopefully it will arrive here in Sweden on Friday (release day). I've basically stopped with physical releases nowadays, but there are a few exceptions.
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Greg has begun posting his tour diary as the band have set up at Sweetwater to begin rehearsal for the tour!
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/spawts-report-january-2nd-to-20th-february-2024/
For our in-flight meals I notice that Alberto chooses the meatballs and Rikard the pasta, thus reversing the natural order of things.
This cracked me up. :rollin
-Marc.
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Yeah the meatball/pasta thing cracked me up too. Great to see the band finally in the states.
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Rikard posted a picture of him in Ft. Wayne last Friday, I think it was. He was on the town and at a bar.
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Here’s a photo from Greg of the band setting up for rehearsals. Looks like they are all there (I think Nick just got done with Mr. Big this past weekend).
https://www.facebook.com/607319396/posts/pfbid02HJJmzSnej5Ptdfky1oS5WjmRpjrzQ6aCeZzxUpo2NU2jmGZUba3P235rLYsmzr9cl/?app=fbl
Nick had this hilarious video the other night advertising some gear from his house. He came home for a short break during the Mr. Big tour to find his basement (where he has all his gear) flooding. He decided to shoot a promo video for this new snare rack he had gotten and was putting together to clean up some of the mess from moving all his stuff out of the basement. The dude has been going nonstop and will be going nonstop through much of next year between Mr. Big and BBT. It’s amazing to see his positive attitude here. I would not have been in this good of a mood if it were me!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFe6yeSRAo&pp=ygUPbmljayBkJ3ZpcmdpbGlv
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My copy has shipped now from Burning Shed, hopefully it will arrive here in Sweden on Friday (release day). I've basically stopped with physical releases nowadays, but there are a few exceptions.
Just got an email update from LaserCD for my mediabook of TLOU, so it should be shipping within the next day or so!
-Marc.
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i'ven ever listened to this band before but i will check the new one.
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My copy has shipped now from Burning Shed, hopefully it will arrive here in Sweden on Friday (release day). I've basically stopped with physical releases nowadays, but there are a few exceptions.
Just got an email update from LaserCD for my mediabook of TLOU, so it should be shipping within the next day or so!
-Marc.
Yep, Just checked and got my tracking info. Ken is pretty good at getting Inside Out releases out nice and early. Now, will Folklore from Burning Shed beat the new record?
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i'ven ever listened to this band before but i will check the new one.
:tup
There is so much more to discover if you like what you hear!
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My copy has shipped now from Burning Shed, hopefully it will arrive here in Sweden on Friday (release day). I've basically stopped with physical releases nowadays, but there are a few exceptions.
Just got an email update from LaserCD for my mediabook of TLOU, so it should be shipping within the next day or so!
-Marc.
Yep, Just checked and got my tracking info. Ken is pretty good at getting Inside Out releases out nice and early. Now, will Folklore from Burning Shed beat the new record?
Same. I feel bad not ordering from Bandwagon, but then I did also do the tour patronage, so I think the band will be ok.
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My copy has shipped now from Burning Shed, hopefully it will arrive here in Sweden on Friday (release day). I've basically stopped with physical releases nowadays, but there are a few exceptions.
Just got an email update from LaserCD for my mediabook of TLOU, so it should be shipping within the next day or so!
-Marc.
Yep, Just checked and got my tracking info. Ken is pretty good at getting Inside Out releases out nice and early. Now, will Folklore from Burning Shed beat the new record?
Same. I feel bad not ordering from Bandwagon, but then I did also do the tour patronage, so I think the band will be ok.
Same here. Laser had the mediabook for a few bucks less and their shipping is a little fast than BandWagon, at least getting to my state. But like you HOF, I also pledged as a Tour Patron, since I cannot go to a show myself, I figured this was the next best thing to try and help support the band. Either way, I cannot wait to get my disc this week! I hope CDJapan sends the Japanese version I ordered soon as well!
-Marc.
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Folklore arrived! Thanks again for posting about it. So glad to finally have it in my hands. Oddly, I was going to add it to my Discogs and my pressing does not exist there. I'll have to add it. Not sure if it is original or a repress. Either way, nice to finally have it.
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Folklore arrived! Thanks again for posting about it. So glad to finally have it in my hands. Oddly, I was going to add it to my Discogs and my pressing does not exist there. I'll have to add it. Not sure if it is original or a repress. Either way, nice to finally have it.
Very cool to hear! Glad it arrived! Speaking of packages arriving, I got my Tour Patron package in the mail from Rita Kay Drew/thebandwagonusa! I haven't gone through the whole tour book yet but thumbing through it, it's a very gorgeous book! The shirt is pretty nice too!
-Marc.
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Nice. Mine is on the way, hope to receive it soon.
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I splurged a bit today. I forgot that the Bandcamp version of Folklore is the LP tracklist. So I figured I needed the Wassail EP. Check Laser CD and Ken has it in stock. Then I notice he knocked the 3 LP version of The Underfall Yard down to $45. Grabbed that as well. He already shipped them out.
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Nothing important to add, but I’m doing a re-listen of their catalog to prep for Saturdays show and Winchester From St. Giles Hill might be their most underrated song. Don’t think they’ve played this or Worked Out yet from EE, but I’d love to see them both make live appearances.
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Nothing important to add, but I’m doing a re-listen of their catalog to prep for Saturdays show and Winchester From St. Giles Hill might be their most underrated song. Don’t think they’ve played this or Worked Out yet from EE, but I’d love to see them both make live appearances.
That middle section on Winchester where the string keys and piano pick up with the flute - absolutely gorgeous. Top tier BBT moment for sure.
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I ordered the vinyl from Bandwagon and it’s set to arrive today. Looking forward to it
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Nothing important to add, but I’m doing a re-listen of their catalog to prep for Saturdays show and Winchester From St. Giles Hill might be their most underrated song. Don’t think they’ve played this or Worked Out yet from EE, but I’d love to see them both make live appearances.
I've been binging on their catalog lately as well. What a band! Can't wait till Friday. I've been good not listening to the singles (listened to Oblivion once), so it should be a fresh listening experience for me..
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Tuesday for me!!
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The new album, Wassail and my 3LP Underfall Yard are all out for delivery. Should have them this morning.
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I got my tour patron package yesterday, and my copy if The Likes of Us is also out for delivery today! Initially it was saying Saturday delivery, so this is a nice surprise.
The tour book is really nice (though I'll probably never wear the shirt!). Waiting for the album then I'll probably dig more into the content while spinning it.
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Got my mediabook in the mail this morning from LaserCD! My Japanese edition should be arriving tomorrow from CDJapan as well!
-Marc.
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Just got mine as well! Working from home today so should be able to give it a spin this afternoon.
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I’m really geeked for the shows Saturday and Sunday. I don’t think it will happen, but I’d love it if they played some pre-London material. There are a few songs from that era that deserve a live version.
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I’m really geeked for the shows Saturday and Sunday. I don’t think it will happen, but I’d love it if they played some pre-London material. There are a few songs from that era that deserve a live version.
I believe they've only ever played two songs they released before Longdon joined with The Underfall Yard - "Summer's Lease" and "Wind Distorted Pioneers", and the latter was only live-in-studio from their Stone And Steel video.
I've been wondering if they'd ever venture to do any music from their first five albums with Alberto, and I think I might have asked that in the BBT FB Forum, and perhaps there was a hint that they've looked into it, so I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled out a deep-cut from their first five albums. They've got over 30 years of material to pull from and while I love what they've done in the latter half of their career since 2009, it'd be neat to see them pay homage to their earliest days.
-Marc.
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They mentioned wanting to pull out “older” material on tour a few times, but I can never tell how old they are talking.
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They mentioned wanting to pull out “older” material on tour a few times, but I can never tell how old they are talking.
Yeah, that'd be like Rush during their R30 tour pulling out music from the late 80s and calling it "old" and not their 70s stuff that people consider their "old stuff". :lol
-Marc.
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They mentioned wanting to pull out “older” material on tour a few times, but I can never tell how old they are talking.
Yeah, that'd be like Rush during their R30 tour pulling out music from the late 80s and calling it "old" and not their 70s stuff that people consider their "old stuff". :lol
-Marc.
Well now, I’m reading through that your program now, and on page 20 they ask everyone in the band what songs they’d like to introduce into the set, and Alberto answers “I can’t wait to play the new songs of course, and also some songs from the pre-David era.”
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So on two listens, I’ve got a sense that the strongest material was on the songs that we’d heard already, which I guess might be slightly disappointing, but Oblivion somehow seems a little more exciting than just on YouTube. The highlights for me are definitely Love is the Light and Last Eleven. But the longer songs may just need some more digestion. The overture is pretty well done too though. Was a little worried how that might come off. Need to start hunting for the nuggets buried in it as I give it more spins.
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I saw Love is The Light last year and thought it was amazing live hearing it for that first time. Hearing it now on album... just an exception piece.
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On my first listen now. Beneath The Masts and Miramare (on this one now) are already owning me. Great songs. Enjoyed the opening 2 as well. Skates On is okay.
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So on two listens, I’ve got a sense that the strongest material was on the songs that we’d heard already, which I guess might be slightly disappointing, but Oblivion somehow seems a little more exciting than just on YouTube. The highlights for me are definitely Love is the Light and Last Eleven. But the longer songs may just need some more digestion. The overture is pretty well done too though. Was a little worried how that might come off. Need to start hunting for the nuggets buried in it as I give it more spins.
Since I began listening to it a few weeks ago for review, I have picked up a few nuggets:
-"Light left in the day" is referenced in the lyrics to "Skates On"
-"Skates On" is referenced in the lyrics to "Bookmarks"
-Part of the opening movement in "Beneath The Masts" shares the vocal Melody heard in "Last Eleven" (which I picked up on first listen since I've heard "Last Eleven" quite a few times since it dropped in 2022).
I still can't discern if any of the melodies in "Light Left In The Day" occur anywhere across the album as it sounds very much like an Overture after the opening lyrics. I'm sure some more astute listeners can pick it up though if there are!
Edit - Greg has shared a lengthy interview!
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/yes-this-is-for-the-likes-of-us/
-Marc.
-
So on two listens, I’ve got a sense that the strongest material was on the songs that we’d heard already, which I guess might be slightly disappointing, but Oblivion somehow seems a little more exciting than just on YouTube. The highlights for me are definitely Love is the Light and Last Eleven. But the longer songs may just need some more digestion. The overture is pretty well done too though. Was a little worried how that might come off. Need to start hunting for the nuggets buried in it as I give it more spins.
Since I began listening to it a few weeks ago for review, I have picked up a few nuggets:
-"Light left in the day" is referenced in the lyrics to "Skates On"
-"Skates On" is referenced in the lyrics to "Bookmarks"
-Part of the opening movement in "Beneath The Masts" shares the vocal Melody heard in "Last Eleven" (which I picked up on first listen since I've heard "Last Eleven" quite a few times since it dropped in 2022).
I still can't discern if any of the melodies in "Light Left In The Day" occur anywhere across the album as it sounds very much like an Overture after the opening lyrics. I'm sure some more astute listeners can pick it up though if there are!
Edit - Greg has shared a lengthy interview!
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/yes-this-is-for-the-likes-of-us/
-Marc.
It's definitely an overture. They've mentioned in interviews that Alberto proposed that they needed an overture to Greg after the rest of the album was finished, and Greg said "ok, if you do it." I'm curious how they put it together, as it does sound like some new recordings, but maybe they were able to assemble different things from the recording sessions in Trieste.
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Mirimare is really growing on me with each listen. I think that's the stronger of the two epics here, though Beneath the Masts has also grown on me a bit with repeated listens.
Will say, I'm not a big fan of the slow build up at the start of the album version of Mirimare. I kind of prefer the edit, which just chunks the first 1:25 or so (I went ahead and downloaded from Bandcamp just for this, and so the artwork would show up on my computer, LOL).
Similarly, I kind of feel like the slow intro to Beneath the Masts could have been a separate segue track, and it makes for a more cohesive song if it just starts at the 4:05 mark. That opening theme (which appears in Last Eleven) is never revisited in Beneath the Masts.
Both of those intros feel like "throat clearing," like they had to pitter around for a little bit before they figured out where the song should start.
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Obviously I don't have as deep a knowledge of BBT's music as the fans on this thread, but I have to say, one listen in, this album is LOVELY. Enjoying it a ton. So many beautiful, beautiful moments and melodies.
Bravin appears to have been an excellent choice. Vocals are excellent and he does bring a distinct personality to the table, imo.
And the whole thing sounds wonderful, as usual.
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'Bookmarks' reads like an homage/tribute to David Longdon to me in the lyrics.
"Then late in the night came a storm
And the brightest star fell
And everything is gone now"
and
"One day we rode out side by side for the last time
Nobody there knew we'd not ride together again"
Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.
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'Bookmarks' reads like an homage/tribute to David Longdon to me in the lyrics.
"Then late in the night came a storm
And the brightest star fell
And everything is gone now"
and
"One day we rode out side by side for the last time
Nobody there knew we'd not ride together again"
Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.
The first quote you listed (it comes second in the song) definitely is a reference to David (Greg has mentioned there is one in the song).
The second quote (about riding for the last time) is a reference to his gang of childhood friends. The idea behind the song is that he had this group that did everything together, until one day when no one realized it they sort of had their last ride together and then that was it - they drifted apart for various reason.
The song goes on to mention new friends/hopes, “a new home for our words, for our songs” which I think is a reference to the band, and then to David’s passing when “the brightest star fell.”
But the song ends with a reference to some of Greg’s old childhood friends coming around him during that difficult time (which he mentioned in an interview really did happen).
It’s a really lovely sentiment. I struggle a bit with the vocal melody on the first part (sort of morose), but when I got to that “brightest star fell” part I had one of those goosebump moments.
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So on two listens, I’ve got a sense that the strongest material was on the songs that we’d heard already, which I guess might be slightly disappointing, but Oblivion somehow seems a little more exciting than just on YouTube. The highlights for me are definitely Love is the Light and Last Eleven. But the longer songs may just need some more digestion. The overture is pretty well done too though. Was a little worried how that might come off. Need to start hunting for the nuggets buried in it as I give it more spins.
Since I began listening to it a few weeks ago for review, I have picked up a few nuggets:
-"Light left in the day" is referenced in the lyrics to "Skates On"
-"Skates On" is referenced in the lyrics to "Bookmarks"
-Part of the opening movement in "Beneath The Masts" shares the vocal Melody heard in "Last Eleven" (which I picked up on first listen since I've heard "Last Eleven" quite a few times since it dropped in 2022).
I still can't discern if any of the melodies in "Light Left In The Day" occur anywhere across the album as it sounds very much like an Overture after the opening lyrics. I'm sure some more astute listeners can pick it up though if there are!
Edit - Greg has shared a lengthy interview!
https://www.bigbigtrain.com/yes-this-is-for-the-likes-of-us/
-Marc.
It's definitely an overture. They've mentioned in interviews that Alberto proposed that they needed an overture to Greg after the rest of the album was finished, and Greg said "ok, if you do it." I'm curious how they put it together, as it does sound like some new recordings, but maybe they were able to assemble different things from the recording sessions in Trieste.
Yeah, after making that post, I read that lengthy interview with Greg and he brought that up. He says he might share what themes and motifs were used in the making of LLITD, which I still can't really tell where they come from as I haven't internalized many of the album's melodies yet, so I would love to see where those themes come from with time-stamps and all.
-Marc.
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I can spot some from both Beneath the Masts and Miramare. But those are the two big epics so it's harder to internalize everything going on there.
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Beneath the Masts is really the key to the album. It's such a big chunk of the run time. It has grown on me with each listen. Still not sure it's as coherent as I'd like a big epic to be, but it has a number of moments that really move me. I love how Greg's bass takes a lot of the melody on the second section. The instrumental jars at first, but is very cool ultimately. The ending is powerful. I think it's going to settle in nicely over time among tracks like Meadhall in Winter or The Underfall Yard, which I both think are a tier below Victorian Brickwork, East Coast Racer, London Plane, and The Wide Open Sea as their best epics.
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The first NJ show may have been the best overall concert I’ve ever seen. I’m speechless.
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Absolutely amazing. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
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I can't wait.
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I tried a few BBT songs a month or 2 ago. It was alright, but maybe I wasn't ready.
This new album is great, maybe even excellent with some more listens. Currently on listen #2. I get some Neal Morse vibes, but not completely, they are their own sound as well. Really cool proggy stuff.
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The first NJ show may have been the best overall concert I’ve ever seen. I’m speechless.
MY perspective is a bit different. While their performance was vey good and they sounded great, "I" was rather disappointed with the setlist. Other than the first 3 songs, for ME and what I like by BBT the rest of the set was rather boring. BUT AGAIN, that's just MY opinion on the songs selected to play. MANY good moments during the show though, for sure.
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Well, the set list tonight should be different. What songs did you feel were missing?
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I'm seeing Haken tonight. Obviously songs are personal preferences, but I would have loved to see any of the following...Oblivion, Make Some Noise, Kingmaker, Judas Unrepentant, Master of Time, Alive, and many others.
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I tried a few BBT songs a month or 2 ago. It was alright, but maybe I wasn't ready.
This new album is great, maybe even excellent with some more listens. Currently on listen #2. I get some Neal Morse vibes, but not completely, they are their own sound as well. Really cool proggy stuff.
:tup
Hope you continue on to the back catalog, because there is so much to explore. You’re not the first person to say they got some Neal Morse vibes from this one, and I hear that too a bit on the first track. But that’s really the only place, and in general they have a much different tone and personality as a band than Neal’s stuff has.
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The show last night was incredible! Alberto is an incredible singer and of course NDV is amazing with his drumming, singing and even guitar playing. I loved the set list, they could have played the whole English Electric and i would have been happy so the songs I got from that album were very welcome. The violin and trumpet just bring something wonderful to their songs. They looked like they were having a great time and so happy for the support in the US. I would love to go tonight but can’t, wondering what they will play.
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If the set on setlist.fm is accurate, it looks like they played 5 songs that haven't been played yet (on the previous two shows so far). Between the two shows, I'm not sure which set I'd like more as there are great songs on both.
Either way, I would love to see all of these on an eventual live release. I'm sure they'll record one of their UK/EU shows later this year for a live album and video, but it'd be neat if they manage to get some of these US performances on YouTube, or release them on the Passengers Club.
-Marc.
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Daily Doug was at the first night in NJ and he got to interview some of the band before the show. Supposed to be up this week.
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Daily Doug was at the first night in NJ and he got to interview some of the band before the show. Supposed to be up this week.
Oh nice! Can't wait to check that out! I wonder if he tried to make it to the 2nd show. Hopefully he's not kicking himself for not making both after seeing the setlist. :lol
-Marc.
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Daily Doug was at the first night in NJ and he got to interview some of the band before the show. Supposed to be up this week.
Oh nice! Can't wait to check that out! I wonder if he tried to make it to the 2nd show. Hopefully he's not kicking himself for not making both after seeing the setlist. :lol
-Marc.
He went to Haken instead last night actually.
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Album keeps getting better and better after each listen. But I do miss Dave's voice a lot. He was my favorite "instrument" in this band. Love(d) his voice.
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Album keeps getting better and better after each listen. But I do miss Dave's voice a lot. He was my favorite "instrument" in this band. Love(d) his voice.
I've felt similar feelings over the past month and a half as I revisited the entire BBT catalog leading up to the release date of TLOU. It'll be hard to move on from Longdon's voice considering he was the voice of the band for about a dozen years, and helped produce more than half of their current discography. What an incredible impact he made upon the band, and its fans, for an awe-inspiring stretch of time.
But I think, in maybe 5 or 6 years, once the current line-up (or least any line-up with Alberto singing) puts out more and more music, we will come to accept the band as they are now, as they drive further along this track with Bravin and co., making their own way and their own sounds. BBT as a whole never seems content to stay in a single place musically for too long. Just look at the last three albums with Longdon - they're all similar but I'd say each one has unique influences and sounds throughout once you get to know those albums, and even comparing those three with the Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS trio, they're QUITE different.
Given how positvely received the new album is, I think we're in for another good run of albums from this line-up, and Bravin seems to be coming to the band with some great ideas both musically and lyrically. Yes, I am still saddened by the loss of David, but I am equally excited to see where the band heads next through the rest of the 2020s.
-Marc.
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Very similar sentiments Letter M.
By the way, I keep seeing pictures of Alberto and he reminds me and possibly looks a lot like Ihsan from Emperor lol
(https://scontent-hou1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/430752795_18421491775022788_4194286259171136583_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=VQYKtqP4OFYAX86E_BV&_nc_ht=scontent-hou1-1.xx&oh=00_AfA1aNvMUpjjoCpwW43bT2sZ2t66Vi9zbVf9-NcQjwEOvg&oe=65EB7B92)
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I will say, when I first got into BBT, it was with Sean Filkins songs. Certainly I hold David in the highest esteem as a singer and musician. But while he was the voice of BBT for the longest period and the main driver of the band’s ascent, he’s not the only voice of BBT. I love the material with both Martin Read and Filkins. So in a way it doesn’t feel totally unnatural to me for Alberto to be singing with the band. But I also think he does a remarkable job of having same general melodic approach as David while being his own voice as well. Circumstances being what they are, I am thrilled that they found Alberto and I think he will take the band to new and exciting places. I remarked on Facebook how amazing it is that he stepped into David’s shoes and rattled off a pair of instant BBT classics in Miramare and Love is the Light. We are so fortunate to have him.
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Maybe it's because it was released way in advance, so therefore I have listened to it the most times, but Last Eleven is currently my favourite track here. Others are Love Is The Light (I had that chorus in my head for a long time this weekend), and Oblivion. The two epics needs more listens though.
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Very similar sentiments Letter M.
By the way, I keep seeing pictures of Alberto and he reminds me and possibly looks a lot like Ihsan from Emperor lol
(https://scontent-hou1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/430752795_18421491775022788_4194286259171136583_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3635dc&_nc_ohc=VQYKtqP4OFYAX86E_BV&_nc_ht=scontent-hou1-1.xx&oh=00_AfA1aNvMUpjjoCpwW43bT2sZ2t66Vi9zbVf9-NcQjwEOvg&oe=65EB7B92)
So true! :lol With maybe some Dave Grohl mixed in ;)
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Just get a picture with Splent sometime and say you met Alberto.
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https://www.bigbigtrain.com/spawts-report-24th-february-1st-march/?fbclid=IwAR1CXoNnt2Xp4h9NPI8lqErpTyih_lRCFrBwgMzHQ1AD8Trqh3V2AFuGPVI
Greg has shared his next tour diary!
-Marc.
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What a show tonight. I had front row left stage corner. Still able to see all musicians. Such dimension.
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Saw on Facebook that they brought out the rest of the brass band for the encore tonight.
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Sure did. Longest show on the tour.
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Nice setlist, but odd that they're not playing more from the new album. I guess coz it's their first time in the US they want to treat fans to more of a "Best of" setlist.
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Nice setlist, but odd that they're not playing more from the new album. I guess coz it's their first time in the US they want to treat fans to more of a "Best of" setlist.
That's exactly it. Greg said in a couple of recent interviews that they will be playing more of a "best of" set due to it being their first ever US tour.
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Finally pulled an RJ and got in a band picture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/TwfrZ44Q/FB-IMG-1709736281544.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Anyone else managed to pick out any musical reprises in the album yet?
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Anyone else managed to pick out any musical reprises in the album yet?
There are tons of them for sure. There are references to both Beneath the Masts (the little piano theme at the end of the first section of Beneath the Masts is the main keyboad theme here) and Mirimare in Light Left in the Day, and probably others since that one was intentionally a bit of an overture. The first section of Beneath the Masts is the theme from Last Eleven. Not a musical reprise, but I like the reference to "we got our skates on" in Bookmarks. Also several mentions of "light left in the day" throughout.
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Anyone else managed to pick out any musical reprises in the album yet?
There are tons of them for sure. There are references to both Beneath the Masts (the little piano theme at the end of the first section of Beneath the Masts is the main keyboad theme here) and Mirimare in Light Left in the Day, and probably others since that one was intentionally a bit of an overture. The first section of Beneath the Masts is the theme from Last Eleven. Not a musical reprise, but I like the reference to "we got our skates on" in Bookmarks. Also several mentions of "light left in the day" throughout.
Yes, there's a lot for sure. I haven't commented on the album yet, as I'm still digesting it, but I can safely say I LOVE it! I will not try to "rank it", or compare it in anyway to the David Longdon albums, but just on it's own merit, this is an incredible album and a great vocal performance by Alberto.
I'm definitely envious of you guys who have gotten to see them live. I just hope they come back to the US and hit the west coast someday soon!
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So the band have specifically requested no filming during tonight’s show. They hadn’t done that for the prior shows. I wonder if that suggests they will be filming it professionally tonight?
It still looks like they are hardly any tickets sold, so hopefully some more people turn up at show time.
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So the band have specifically requested no filming during tonight’s show. They hadn’t done that for the prior shows. I wonder if that suggests they will be filming it professionally tonight?
It still looks like they are hardly any tickets sold, so hopefully some more people turn up at show time.
I saw that earlier today, and it did make me think they might record some of it as well. Given the apparent attendance, I doubt it'll be for any big official release, especially through Inside Out, but they might put some videos up on YouTube or the Passenger's Club. I think if we get a full live album CD/BD set like the last few (Empire, Summer Shall Not Fade, etc), it'll probably be a European/UK show, with more songs from TLOU in the set and less of the "greatest hits" and fan favorites they've been playing since 2022, though I hope they keep some of the Common Ground/Welcome To The Planet songs in the set when they get to that point later this year! It would be nice to get "Atlantic Cable" and "Apollo" on a concert video!
-Marc.
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I believe they filmed one of the shows last year (the one in Holland I think) and they've mentioned they have a planned concert release for later this year, so I assume that's it. But maybe they'll include some footage from this show or the cruise as bonus content or something.
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https://youtu.be/LmtT5IMosMY?si=qAjkIeaSIGZ4Pylt
Doug Helvering (aka The Daily Doug) conducted a short interview with Nick, Greg, and Alberto before their first show in NJ last weekend! He also listens to "Love Is The Light" at the end of the video as well.
-Marc.
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Watched this earlier. Cool to hear Doug say BBT have become his favorite band. Doug knows music!
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Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Gathering Speed. Greg left a comment on Facebook that said "I am very fond of this album, it set us on course. I hope we’ll play a song or two from it at some stage." I think Alberto's voice would really suit the Sean Filkins songs well.
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So for anyone still looking to collect physical copies of the back catalog, the band had some new copies of Folklore, and English Electric pt. 1 and pt. 2 pressed to sell on the US tour and CTTE. Extra copies are now for sail at Bandwagon and Burning Shed.
I ordered the English Electric albums since I never got those individually.
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are big big train doing a close to the edge album tour? i can't think of what else CTTE means haha. it'd be cool to see them take on a Yes classic
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are big big train doing a close to the edge album tour? i can't think of what else CTTE means haha. it'd be cool to see them take on a Yes classic
CTTE = Cruise to the Edge (a prog cruise started by Yes of course). They just finished a brief US tour followed by an appearance on the cruise.
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oh wow i am so dumb lmao, literally just watched a video of MP and JR in that cruise too, thanks for clarifying and that makes a lot more sense
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Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Gathering Speed. Greg left a comment on Facebook that said "I am very fond of this album, it set us on course. I hope we’ll play a song or two from it at some stage." I think Alberto's voice would really suit the Sean Filkins songs well.
The earliest album I've heard is The Difference Machine. I should check out Gathering Speed some day.
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Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Gathering Speed. Greg left a comment on Facebook that said "I am very fond of this album, it set us on course. I hope we’ll play a song or two from it at some stage." I think Alberto's voice would really suit the Sean Filkins songs well.
The earliest album I've heard is The Difference Machine. I should check out Gathering Speed some day.
You should! It’s under an hour, so not a long listen.
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So the band are doing a “re-recording workshop” at Sweetwater this weekend. Alberto posted this on FB/Instagram:
“Last couple of days at @sweetwaterstudios recording something special! 😎
This place is incredible.
It has everything you can dream of and more.
And with @shawndealey everything sounds awesome.”
Wonder if they might be recording some earlier material for release, or something new.
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According to a Burning Shed email, CD copies of both English Electric albums are in stock, as is Folklore (previously mentioned in this thread), as well as Grimspound.
They also seem to have CD copies of the Swan Hunter and Merry Christmas singles, 2019's Grand Tour, and the 2020 remix and remaster of The Underfall Yard. So pretty much most of their 2009-2019 catalog is still available on CD (notable exceptions being The Second Brightest Star and much of their live releases).
This is great news for newer fans who have only boarded the BBT fandom in recent years! Grab them while you can!
-Marc.
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According to a Burning Shed email, CD copies of both English Electric albums are in stock, as is Folklore (previously mentioned in this thread), as well as Grimspound.
They also seem to have CD copies of the Swan Hunter and Merry Christmas singles, 2019's Grand Tour, and the 2020 remix and remaster of The Underfall Yard. So pretty much most of their 2009-2019 catalog is still available on CD (notable exceptions being The Second Brightest Star and much of their live releases).
This is great news for newer fans who have only boarded the BBT fandom in recent years! Grab them while you can!
-Marc.
These all appear to be available at Bandwagon USA too. I just received my copies of the English Electric albums yesterday actually. Really glad I did, because they have some of the best artwork the band has had on an album I think.
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So the band are doing a “re-recording workshop” at Sweetwater this weekend. Alberto posted this on FB/Instagram:
“Last couple of days at @sweetwaterstudios recording something special! 😎
This place is incredible.
It has everything you can dream of and more.
And with @shawndealey everything sounds awesome.”
Wonder if they might be recording some earlier material for release, or something new.
Has the long-forgotten Station Masters project been revived? :o
Either way, it sounds like they'll have an EP or compilation coming, and I'm excited for that. Anything that keeps their momentum going! I'd love to see them back on their grind like they were between 2012-2019. If you look at their Band History chart (cleverly designs like a railway map), you'll see just how much output they had in those years, and it was astounding how quickly they released albums, EPs, and singles back then. Things have noticeably slowed down since Grand Tour, but they seem ready and raring to go now, so I wouldn't mind seeing them drop some more singles or EPs in the interim between studio albums. I wouldn't be surprised if they already had ideas for their next studio album, and if it came out before the end of 2025.
-Marc.
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Has the long-forgotten Station Masters project been revived? :o
Either way, it sounds like they'll have an EP or compilation coming, and I'm excited for that. Anything that keeps their momentum going! I'd love to see them back on their grind like they were between 2012-2019. If you look at their Band History chart (cleverly designs like a railway map), you'll see just how much output they had in those years, and it was astounding how quickly they released albums, EPs, and singles back then. Things have noticeably slowed down since Grand Tour, but they seem ready and raring to go now, so I wouldn't mind seeing them drop some more singles or EPs in the interim between studio albums. I wouldn't be surprised if they already had ideas for their next studio album, and if it came out before the end of 2025.
-Marc.
I believe they mentioned that they had about two hours' worth of music written to choose from as far as what to record in Trieste, so there is about an album's worth of additional music they could work into another album. Greg hinted at the next album being a possible concept album, so I imagine they are pretty far down the road on the next album in terms of writing. I'm not sure if Sweetwater had to do with a new album or not, but I imagine it's something intended to bridge the time between the two albums.
Alberto also had a short clip of himself recording a blazing mini-Moog solo on FB/Instagram yesterday that sounded really good. It was tagged as Big Big Train so I took it as a new piece of music that is being worked on.
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Several artists have done these re-recording workshops at Sweetwater. It is usually treated as a learning experience for people interested in studio engineering and the like. Some artists then release the sessions as an EP. I have the CD that The Dead Deads did there and I know Spock's Beard did that a few years ago as well (never picked that up but I know it is still available in their shop). I would expect a couple of songs re-recorded and that's it.
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I believe they mentioned that they had about two hours' worth of music written to choose from as far as what to record in Trieste, so there is about an album's worth of additional music they could work into another album. Greg hinted at the next album being a possible concept album, so I imagine they are pretty far down the road on the next album in terms of writing. I'm not sure if Sweetwater had to do with a new album or not, but I imagine it's something intended to bridge the time between the two albums.
Alberto also had a short clip of himself recording a blazing mini-Moog solo on FB/Instagram yesterday that sounded really good. It was tagged as Big Big Train so I took it as a new piece of music that is being worked on.
Funnily enough, BBT just sent out an email newsletter and here's what it says about the Sweetwater sessions:
Sweetwater Studios Recording
After the Cruise we returned to Sweetwater in Fort Wayne. We spent a day recording in the magnificent studios there with house engineer Shawn Dealey and his team as part of a Sweetwater recording and mixing workshop. We hope to announce news about the results of this studio session during April.
Sounds like an April announcement is coming, with probably an mid-to-late summer release, if I had to guess. If it's like the SB "Live At Sweetwater" EP they released several years back, it'll be a few tracks from across the band's catalog re-recorded with the current line-up. I'd love to see them do songs from each of the band's previous periods - a Martin Read track, a Sean Filkins track, and a David Longdon track (or two), and preferably songs that haven't been done to death (so now "Wind Distorted Pioneers" or "Summer's Lease", although it would not surprise me if those were the Read and Filkins tracks they re-record with Alberto).
I do wonder if this will be another independent release through Sweetwater (as was the SB release), or if they'll push it through Inside Out now that they're with them.
-Marc.
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Someone shared his experience of attending the sessions on Facebook. He obviously couldn't say what they were recording, but he mentioned NDV was only able to be there for one of the two days due to needing to leave for the Mr. Big shows in the UK. I don't know how many songs he might have banged out in a day (I'm sure he could have done quite a few, but maybe not a full album's worth of songs).
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Someone shared his experience of attending the sessions on Facebook. He obviously couldn't say what they were recording, but he mentioned NDV was only able to be there for one of the two days due to needing to leave for the Mr. Big shows in the UK. I don't know how many songs he might have banged out in a day (I'm sure he could have done quite a few, but maybe not a full album's worth of songs).
If they were there for a second day without NDV, I'd imagine they could do one or two acoustic covers without Nick, which could be fun considering many members of the band are multi-instrumentalists!
-Marc.
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New BBT newsletter out today. Bunch of tour and merch related stuff, but the snippet at the end was the most interesting part to me:
AND FINALLY…
Our next show is the Summer Fog festival in Poland on 13th July. However before then, there will be two or three other significant pieces of news…
Guessing one of these is the Bard reissue and another is an announcement about a concert film from last year’s European tour, but could be anything.
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I love this album. It's getting regular play from me.
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Seeing them live blew me away.
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I love this album. It's getting regular play from me.
:tup
I've been trying to let it rest, but I did listen to some of it this weekend. Hard to put it down for sure!
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I ordered the deluxe package (or whatever it's called -- the one with the CD and the 5.1 Blu-ray) and it arrived yesterday. I listened to it twice last night, and again this morning. Wow! I was actually a little worried because "Love is the Light" is a nice enough song, but hardly the amazing, expansive prog I've come to expect from BBT, and "Oblivion" was pretty cool, very intense, but also somehow seemed a bit on the simple side. Maybe that's why they were the advance singles; I don't know. "Miramare" was more adventurous, but the video was so bad that I just found it distracting, and at that point I decided to just wait. I really don't remember much about "Miramare" other than the video. That's not how it's supposed to work.
But within the context of the album as a whole, "Love is the Light" and "Oblivion" were both great, as was the rest of the album. I tried something different this time; rather than listening while reading through liner notes and looking at pictures, I just pressed Play and let it go. I listened "blind". So I have no idea even which songs were which, except for the singles I'd heard before, and things flowed so well that I didn't even know when we'd gone to a different song, a different movement of the same song, or what.
Alberto seems pretty cool. We've had plenty of chances to see what he's done with the older BBT songs, and I like his way of mostly channeling David yet putting his own mark on things. But this album was obviously a big test, and he and the rest of the new lineup have passed with flying colors. As I said, the singles I'd heard concerned me, but the album as a whole feels really consistent, and it sounds really good.
Now I just have to wait for some time when Mrs. Orbert is out, so I can crank up the 5.1 surround mix in the living room.
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Love is the Light is amazing. I thought they did a great job of melding a pop ballad with prog there. Miramare didn’t grow on me until I heard the album either, but it’s a great track.
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Oblivion is currently my favorite track. But I have been in a "simple music" mood while I finish up teaching this school year, I don't want anything too crazy all the time.
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Only about half way through this (it's over 2 hours!), but this is a very cool radio program featuring Greg Spawton playing/talking about the music that has influenced him with Richard Macphail (who was a part of the Genesis camp back in the day).
https://www.mixcloud.com/richpickings/rrp-gregory-spawton-23-april-2024/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3gfV5h-k3cQcCzBUR5-fIbRxfZ0WblXolOiwtYRdEhyO0UqwZhkeNjCRw_aem_Af6sEm9czyQdlGMX3fRRxVg_hlciBX0Hoc6I-nAMoWRf0hy0r1Uxdtt6z37w-3eVvdTF6yb5Gcqy3Jmp6qR72p1c